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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. lean — to bend
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. pit — in a race
  5. can — to be able to
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bore — to drill
  12. press — to push
  13. bat — the animal
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. press — newspapers
  16. content — happy
  17. press — a publisher
  18. pit — a hole
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. lean — thin
  21. can — a tin
  22. bore — to tire
  23. content — the amount
  24. content — videos and posts

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