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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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. land — a country
  3. cap — a lid
  4. shower — to wash
  5. last — to go on
  6. press — to push
  7. last — finally
  8. bulb — for light
  9. press — newspapers
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cap — of ice
  12. roll — a cake
  13. land — ground
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. last — final
  16. roll — a list
  17. shower — rain
  18. land — to come down
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bulb — for light
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. press — a publisher

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