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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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468
Word bank
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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. bound — tied together
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. bound — certain
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bound — obliged
  11. scale — in music
  12. pit — a hole
  13. press — newspapers
  14. mine — for digging
  15. press — a publisher
  16. kick — in football
  17. rule — government
  18. bore — to tire
  19. scale — size or range
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. pit — in a race
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. rule — a law

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