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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. can — to be able to
  3. press — newspapers
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. squash — to crush
  6. file — a tool
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. file — a document
  10. press — to push
  11. bore — to drill
  12. can — a tin
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. file — a line of people
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. court — of law
  17. court — for sport
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. squash — the sport
  20. wound — an injury
  21. can — a tin
  22. press — a publisher
  23. wound — an injury
  24. court — of a king

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