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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 120 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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. mark — a trace
  4. press — a publisher
  5. cue — for pool
  6. row — a line
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bore — to drill
  9. press — to push
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. press — newspapers
  12. capital — a city
  13. game — a match
  14. mark — a grade
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. cue — a signal
  19. cue — a hint
  20. game — wild animals
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. capital — money
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. bore — to tire

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