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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. hand — help
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. bore — to tire
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. hand — in cards
  8. ball — a dance
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. bound — obliged
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. press — to push
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bound — certain
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. ball — a great time
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. press — newspapers
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. pitch — completely
  23. bore — to drill
  24. pitch — a sports field

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