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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 120 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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. rash — hasty
  3. season — in sport
  4. press — a publisher
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. press — newspapers
  9. bore — to drill
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. season — of the year
  13. bore — to tire
  14. fork — in a road
  15. press — to push
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. rash — a series
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. hand — help
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. ruler — a monarch

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