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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. staff — a stick
  3. field — a subject
  4. bore — to drill
  5. field — for sport
  6. saw — the tool
  7. field — farmland
  8. saw — the tool
  9. cap — of ice
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. staff — employees
  13. press — newspapers
  14. cap — a hat
  15. press — to push
  16. staff — employees
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. press — a publisher

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