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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. roll — a cake
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. net — for catching
  5. land — a country
  6. drill — army training
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. land — ground
  9. press — a publisher
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. mine — for digging
  14. stand — to bear
  15. land — to come down
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. drill — the tool
  18. net — in sport
  19. net — after costs
  20. press — newspapers
  21. roll — a list
  22. drill — a practice
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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