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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. land — ground
  3. roll — a list
  4. press — newspapers
  5. current — happening now
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. roll — a cake
  8. race — a contest
  9. court — of law
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. mark — a trace
  12. press — a publisher
  13. court — for sport
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. pound — a weight
  16. mark — a grade
  17. race — the arms race
  18. current — of water
  19. land — to come down
  20. court — of a king
  21. land — a country
  22. race — humankind
  23. current — electric
  24. mark — to pay attention

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