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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. ball — a dance
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. bore — to drill
  5. ball — a great time
  6. file — a tool
  7. mine — for digging
  8. file — a document
  9. file — a line of people
  10. root — of a plant
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. key — in music
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. press — a publisher
  17. press — to push
  18. key — for a lock
  19. root — the cause
  20. press — newspapers
  21. root — of a word
  22. bore — to tire
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. key — the most important part

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