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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. last — to go on
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. land — to come down
  5. track — to keep track
  6. press — a publisher
  7. craft — a skill
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. track — a path
  10. press — to push
  11. mug — to rob
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. mug — a face
  14. press — newspapers
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. last — finally
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. track — a song
  19. mug — a cup
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. land — a country
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. craft — boats
  24. last — final

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