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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bulb — for light
  4. squash — to crush
  5. bore — to drill
  6. ground — crushed
  7. cap — a hat
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. ground — the earth
  10. bulb — for light
  11. cap — of ice
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. mine — for digging
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. ground — a position
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. press — newspapers
  18. bore — to tire
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. squash — the sport
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. press — a publisher
  24. press — to push

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