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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. land — to come down
  4. press — newspapers
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. wound — an injury
  7. kick — in football
  8. lean — to bend
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. lean — thin
  12. wound — an injury
  13. rash — a series
  14. press — a publisher
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. press — to push
  18. rash — hasty
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. land — a country
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. mine — for digging
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. mine — belonging to me

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