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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. bore — to tire
  3. dip — to sink
  4. board — to get on
  5. press — a publisher
  6. press — to push
  7. bore — to drill
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. pitch — completely
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. land — ground
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. board — a committee
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. press — newspapers
  20. wound — an injury
  21. land — to come down
  22. wound — an injury
  23. snap — to click
  24. dip — a sauce

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