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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. chip — for betting
  3. squash — to crush
  4. fine — high quality
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bore — to drill
  7. fine — all right
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. spring — the season
  11. squash — the sport
  12. court — of a king
  13. spring — a coil
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. court — for sport
  16. press — newspapers
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. press — to push
  20. press — a publisher
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. chip — to eat
  23. spring — of water
  24. court — of law

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