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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. land — a country
  4. land — ground
  5. press — to push
  6. firm — decided
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. game — a match
  9. press — a publisher
  10. track — a path
  11. track — a song
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. firm — steady
  14. land — to come down
  15. scale — in music
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. press — newspapers
  19. track — to keep track
  20. chair — a leader
  21. firm — a company
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. scale — size or range
  24. lash — an eyelash

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