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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. rock — music
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. pound — a weight
  5. degree — from a university
  6. press — to push
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. degree — an amount
  9. press — a publisher
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. bore — to tire
  13. rock — a stone
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. chest — of your body
  19. degree — temperature
  20. chest — of your body
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. press — newspapers
  24. chest — a box

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