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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 120 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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. press — a publisher
  4. board — a committee
  5. press — newspapers
  6. board — to get on
  7. swing — in golf
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. club — for dancing
  10. plane — a tool
  11. degree — from a university
  12. swing — to play on
  13. club — for golf
  14. land — ground
  15. track — a path
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. degree — temperature
  18. land — to come down
  19. press — to push
  20. club — a group
  21. track — a song
  22. track — to keep track
  23. degree — an amount
  24. swing — music

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