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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. press — to push
  5. chest — a box
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. wake — a trail
  8. chest — of your body
  9. squash — to crush
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. bore — to tire
  12. press — a publisher
  13. bore — to drill
  14. pitch — completely
  15. hand — in cards
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. chest — of your body
  20. branch — a division
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. press — newspapers
  23. squash — the sport
  24. hand — help

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