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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 124 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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. bore — to tire
  3. chip — to eat
  4. can — a tin
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bore — to drill
  8. chip — for betting
  9. bound — obliged
  10. press — to push
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. land — a country
  14. press — a publisher
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bound — certain
  17. press — newspapers
  18. land — to come down
  19. can — a tin
  20. land — ground
  21. drill — a practice
  22. drill — army training
  23. drill — the tool
  24. can — to be able to

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