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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. land — to come down
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. court — of law
  5. court — of a king
  6. press — newspapers
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. current — happening now
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. cap — of ice
  12. court — for sport
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. press — a publisher
  16. current — electric
  17. cap — a hat
  18. mine — for digging
  19. land — ground
  20. cap — a lid
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. press — to push
  24. current — of water

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