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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. pitch — completely
  3. bore — to drill
  4. press — a publisher
  5. hand — help
  6. hand — in cards
  7. press — newspapers
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. degree — an amount
  11. net — for catching
  12. rock — music
  13. press — to push
  14. degree — temperature
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. game — wild animals
  18. rock — a stone
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. degree — from a university
  21. net — in sport
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. net — after costs
  24. game — a match

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