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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. land — ground
  4. club — a group
  5. press — to push
  6. club — for dancing
  7. can — to be able to
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. last — to go on
  10. can — a tin
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. last — final
  13. mark — a trace
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. mark — a grade
  16. press — newspapers
  17. last — finally
  18. land — to come down
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. land — a country
  21. club — for golf
  22. pass — a permit
  23. press — a publisher
  24. can — a tin

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