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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 116 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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. pitch — completely
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mate — to breed
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. squash — the sport
  8. mine — for digging
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. branch — a division
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. press — to push
  16. squash — to crush
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. press — newspapers
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. bore — to drill
  22. mate — a partner
  23. press — a publisher
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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