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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. press — to push
  3. press — newspapers
  4. mine — for digging
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bore — to drill
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. land — ground
  13. land — a country
  14. shower — rain
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bore — to tire
  17. shower — to wash
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. chip — to eat
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. chip — for betting
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. press — a publisher

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