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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 116 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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. bore — to drill
  3. wind — moving air
  4. net — for catching
  5. land — ground
  6. net — after costs
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. press — newspapers
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. land — a country
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. dip — to sink
  14. land — to come down
  15. press — a publisher
  16. fine — all right
  17. fine — high quality
  18. net — in sport
  19. bore — to tire
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. bat — the animal
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. press — to push
  24. wind — moving air

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