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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. land — a country
  3. wax — to grow
  4. land — to come down
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. press — a publisher
  7. press — newspapers
  8. deal — to handle
  9. chair — a leader
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. pitch — completely
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. press — to push
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. land — ground
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. pound — a weight

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