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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 116 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're almost out of ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. pop — soda
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. row — to paddle
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. mate — a partner
  8. pop — music
  9. press — a publisher
  10. land — ground
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. wind — moving air
  13. land — to come down
  14. squash — the sport
  15. mate — a friend
  16. press — to push
  17. press — newspapers
  18. row — a line
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. mate — to breed
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. squash — to crush
  23. wind — moving air
  24. pop — to visit

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