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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. bore — to tire
  3. game — wild animals
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. press — a publisher
  6. press — newspapers
  7. drill — the tool
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. drill — a practice
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. hand — help
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. root — of a plant
  17. root — of a word
  18. game — a match
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. hand — in cards
  22. root — the cause
  23. press — to push
  24. racket — for tennis

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