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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 116 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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. court — of a king
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. press — newspapers
  5. saw — the tool
  6. press — a publisher
  7. saw — the tool
  8. degree — temperature
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. mark — a grade
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. prune — to trim
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. press — to push
  15. degree — an amount
  16. court — for sport
  17. mark — a trace
  18. land — ground
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. degree — from a university
  21. prune — to trim
  22. land — to come down
  23. court — of law
  24. mouse — the animal

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