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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. content — happy
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. stand — to bear
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. drill — a practice
  11. press — to push
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. press — newspapers
  14. content — the amount
  15. saw — the tool
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. press — a publisher
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. drill — army training
  22. bore — to tire
  23. drill — the tool
  24. stand — for spectators

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