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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. mate — to breed
  3. press — newspapers
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bore — to tire
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. press — a publisher
  9. clip — to cut
  10. hand — in cards
  11. pit — in a race
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. press — to push
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. bore — to drill
  16. mate — a partner
  17. rash — a series
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. clip — for paper
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. clip — a video
  22. pit — a hole
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. mate — a friend

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