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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. press — newspapers
  3. prune — to trim
  4. roll — a cake
  5. land — to come down
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. foot — a measure
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. roll — a list
  12. march — the month
  13. press — a publisher
  14. press — to push
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. land — a country
  17. prune — to trim
  18. shower — to wash
  19. march — the month
  20. shower — rain
  21. march — music
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. dip — to sink
  24. foot — part of the body

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