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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bore — to drill
  3. spring — the season
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. net — after costs
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. net — for catching
  8. press — a publisher
  9. roll — a list
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. spring — of water
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. press — to push
  14. net — in sport
  15. last — final
  16. press — newspapers
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. last — to go on
  19. last — finally
  20. bore — to tire
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. spring — a coil
  23. roll — a cake
  24. jam — in traffic

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