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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. can — to be able to
  3. degree — an amount
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. press — a publisher
  8. press — newspapers
  9. mine — for digging
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. degree — from a university
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. press — to push
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. degree — temperature
  17. chip — to eat
  18. bore — to drill
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bore — to tire
  21. can — a tin
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. can — a tin
  24. chip — for betting

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