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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. land — to come down
  3. press — to push
  4. press — newspapers
  5. chest — a box
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. chest — of your body
  9. press — a publisher
  10. pop — music
  11. pop — soda
  12. cell — a phone
  13. vault — a safe
  14. chest — of your body
  15. land — ground
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. pop — to visit
  18. cell — in biology
  19. scale — in music
  20. scale — size or range
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. sharp — clever
  24. cell — in a prison

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