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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. mate — to breed
  4. press — to push
  5. squash — the sport
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. chair — a leader
  8. squash — to crush
  9. mate — a friend
  10. bore — to tire
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. press — newspapers
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. pass — a permit
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. press — a publisher
  17. scale — in music
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. scale — size or range
  21. mate — a partner
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. bore — to drill

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