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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. land — ground
  3. game — wild animals
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. court — for sport
  6. cap — of ice
  7. cap — a lid
  8. court — of a king
  9. lean — thin
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. cap — a hat
  13. land — to come down
  14. press — to push
  15. press — newspapers
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. lean — to bend
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. land — a country
  21. press — a publisher
  22. scale — size or range
  23. scale — in music
  24. court — of law

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