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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 124 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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. land — ground
  3. cold — an illness
  4. cue — for pool
  5. land — a country
  6. cue — a signal
  7. land — to come down
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. press — newspapers
  10. field — a subject
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. mug — to rob
  14. rest — a break
  15. field — for sport
  16. mug — a cup
  17. rest — what's left
  18. press — a publisher
  19. mug — a face
  20. cold — not warm
  21. cue — a hint
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. field — farmland
  24. press — to push

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