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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. cap — of ice
  3. roll — a cake
  4. hand — help
  5. dip — to sink
  6. row — to paddle
  7. row — a line
  8. hand — in cards
  9. press — newspapers
  10. land — ground
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. object — a thing
  14. land — to come down
  15. roll — a list
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. object — to protest
  18. object — an aim
  19. cap — a hat
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. cap — a lid
  22. press — to push
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. press — a publisher

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