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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. land — to come down
  7. bulb — for light
  8. season — in sport
  9. season — of the year
  10. net — in sport
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. bulb — for light
  13. net — after costs
  14. press — newspapers
  15. press — a publisher
  16. land — ground
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. cold — not warm
  19. net — for catching
  20. cold — an illness
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. press — to push

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