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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. land — to come down
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. clip — for paper
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. rock — a stone
  7. scale — size or range
  8. mark — a grade
  9. press — a publisher
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. rock — music
  12. scale — in music
  13. press — to push
  14. date — the fruit
  15. clip — to cut
  16. clip — a video
  17. rest — what's left
  18. mark — a trace
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. land — a country
  21. rest — a break
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. press — newspapers

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