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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. club — for golf
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. date — the fruit
  7. swing — music
  8. game — a match
  9. swing — in golf
  10. snap — to click
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. club — a group
  13. game — wild animals
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bore — to tire
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. press — to push
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. swing — to play on
  22. press — a publisher
  23. club — for dancing
  24. press — newspapers

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