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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. toast — bread
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. press — to push
  5. capital — money
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. season — in sport
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. press — a publisher
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. capital — a city
  13. net — for catching
  14. branch — a division
  15. press — newspapers
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. net — in sport
  18. season — of the year
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. net — after costs
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. bore — to tire

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