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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bore — to drill
  4. press — to push
  5. mate — to breed
  6. rash — hasty
  7. swing — in golf
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. mate — a partner
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. swing — music
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. press — newspapers
  16. deal — to handle
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. bulb — for light
  19. swing — to play on
  20. press — a publisher
  21. game — wild animals
  22. rash — a series
  23. game — a match
  24. rash — on the skin

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