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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. race — a contest
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. fall — to drop
  7. press — to push
  8. press — a publisher
  9. race — the arms race
  10. bore — to drill
  11. pit — a hole
  12. deal — to handle
  13. mate — a friend
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. mate — to breed
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. fall — the season
  19. dip — to sink
  20. race — humankind
  21. mate — a partner
  22. pit — in a race
  23. fall — to drop
  24. press — newspapers

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