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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. march — the month
  4. march — the month
  5. field — for sport
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. land — ground
  8. press — newspapers
  9. field — a subject
  10. land — to come down
  11. field — farmland
  12. press — a publisher
  13. vault — a safe
  14. file — a tool
  15. file — a line of people
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. stand — to bear
  19. content — the amount
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. file — a document
  22. content — happy
  23. march — music
  24. press — to push

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