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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. cap — of ice
  3. scale — in music
  4. press — a publisher
  5. saw — the tool
  6. press — newspapers
  7. tube — a container
  8. cap — a lid
  9. tube — the underground
  10. cap — a hat
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. scale — size or range
  14. spell — letters
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. saw — the tool
  17. land — to come down
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. press — to push
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. spell — a short time
  23. land — ground
  24. spell — magic

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