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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. spell — a short time
  4. face — to point toward
  5. stock — goods
  6. game — a match
  7. game — wild animals
  8. bore — to tire
  9. spell — magic
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. face — to confront
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. press — newspapers
  14. stock — shares
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. press — a publisher
  19. face — part of the head
  20. bore — to drill
  21. press — to push
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. spell — letters
  24. nail — for a hammer

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