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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. land — ground
  3. swing — in golf
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. press — newspapers
  6. swing — to play on
  7. land — to come down
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. land — a country
  10. bore — to tire
  11. rock — music
  12. chip — to eat
  13. bore — to drill
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. rock — a stone
  17. net — in sport
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. chip — for betting
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. press — a publisher
  22. press — to push
  23. net — after costs
  24. swing — music

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