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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 116 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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. degree — from a university
  3. press — newspapers
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. game — wild animals
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. land — to come down
  12. degree — temperature
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. wake — a trail
  15. press — to push
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. press — a publisher
  18. rock — music
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. degree — an amount
  22. rock — a stone
  23. game — a match
  24. land — ground

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