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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 120 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. last — finally
  3. field — for sport
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. field — a subject
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. field — farmland
  9. track — a path
  10. press — a publisher
  11. mate — a partner
  12. last — final
  13. track — a song
  14. kid — child
  15. press — newspapers
  16. mate — to breed
  17. stock — goods
  18. bore — to tire
  19. press — to push
  20. kid — to tease
  21. track — to keep track
  22. last — to go on
  23. mate — a friend
  24. stock — shares

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