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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. bore — to drill
  3. firm — steady
  4. press — a publisher
  5. firm — a company
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. perch — the fish
  9. firm — decided
  10. press — to push
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. march — the month
  15. game — wild animals
  16. march — the month
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. press — newspapers
  19. game — a match
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. march — music
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bore — to tire
  24. ruler — a monarch

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