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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. bore — to drill
  4. scale — size or range
  5. spring — a coil
  6. bore — to tire
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. rest — what's left
  9. spring — of water
  10. press — newspapers
  11. rest — what's left
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. season — in sport
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. stock — shares
  17. press — a publisher
  18. rest — a break
  19. scale — in music
  20. spring — the season
  21. stock — goods
  22. mine — for digging
  23. press — to push
  24. season — of the year

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