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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bore — to tire
  3. press — a publisher
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. game — a match
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. current — happening now
  8. cell — in biology
  9. mate — a friend
  10. mate — to breed
  11. current — electric
  12. press — to push
  13. press — newspapers
  14. squash — to crush
  15. game — wild animals
  16. cell — a phone
  17. mate — a partner
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. bore — to drill
  22. squash — the sport
  23. current — of water
  24. cell — in a prison

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