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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. kick — in football
  3. press — a publisher
  4. current — electric
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. fine — all right
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. fine — high quality
  11. bore — to drill
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. bore — to tire
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. press — newspapers
  16. current — happening now
  17. current — of water
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bear — the animal
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. press — to push
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. sharp — clever

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