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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. press — newspapers
  4. press — to push
  5. land — to come down
  6. cold — not warm
  7. fork — in a road
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. land — ground
  14. cold — an illness
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. field — a subject
  17. press — a publisher
  18. fall — the season
  19. chair — a leader
  20. fall — to drop
  21. perch — the fish
  22. field — for sport
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. field — farmland

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com