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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  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. rock — music
  2. pop — to visit
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. press — to push
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. capital — a city
  8. press — a publisher
  9. mug — a face
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. pop — music
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. press — newspapers
  16. capital — money
  17. rock — a stone
  18. pop — soda
  19. mug — to rob
  20. land — ground
  21. land — to come down
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. mug — a cup
  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