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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. land — ground
  3. press — to push
  4. cap — a hat
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. press — newspapers
  7. present — the time now
  8. cap — of ice
  9. present — there
  10. stock — shares
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cap — a lid
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. march — the month
  15. present — a gift
  16. land — to come down
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. march — the month
  19. press — a publisher
  20. march — music
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. stock — goods
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. land — a country

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