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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. press — to push
  3. face — to point toward
  4. face — part of the head
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. content — happy
  7. mate — to breed
  8. content — the amount
  9. press — a publisher
  10. bore — to drill
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. mine — for digging
  15. pitch — completely
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. mate — a partner
  18. face — to confront
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. press — newspapers
  21. mate — a friend
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. nail — on a finger

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