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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bat — the animal
  3. kid — child
  4. bulb — for light
  5. press — to push
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bore — to drill
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bulb — for light
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. press — a publisher
  16. press — newspapers
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bore — gave birth

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