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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. land — a country
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. bound — obliged
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. race — the arms race
  12. press — a publisher
  13. deal — to handle
  14. press — newspapers
  15. land — to come down
  16. press — to push
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. craft — a skill
  19. bound — certain
  20. race — humankind
  21. craft — boats
  22. bound — tied together
  23. race — a contest
  24. land — ground

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