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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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. press — newspapers
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. content — the amount
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. press — a publisher
  9. press — to push
  10. land — to come down
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. land — ground
  13. mine — for digging
  14. race — a contest
  15. row — a line
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. row — to paddle
  19. content — happy
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. race — the arms race
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. race — humankind

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