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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  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. press — newspapers
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. bore — to drill
  5. press — to push
  6. cap — of ice
  7. firm — decided
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. fall — to drop
  10. press — a publisher
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. fall — to drop
  13. saw — the tool
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. firm — steady
  17. cap — a lid
  18. fork — in a road
  19. saw — the tool
  20. firm — a company
  21. mine — for digging
  22. fall — the season
  23. cap — a hat
  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