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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. track — a path
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. ball — a dance
  5. mine — for digging
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. press — newspapers
  8. press — a publisher
  9. ball — a great time
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. snap — to click
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. track — to keep track
  15. track — a song
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bore — to drill
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — the animal
  24. press — to push

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