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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. 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. press — newspapers
  2. press — to push
  3. bore — to drill
  4. key — the most important part
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. tube — the underground
  7. bore — to tire
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. suit — to fit
  11. wake — a trail
  12. suit — in cards
  13. net — in sport
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. key — for a lock
  16. key — in music
  17. tube — a container
  18. net — after costs
  19. suit — clothes
  20. net — for catching
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. wound — an injury
  24. 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