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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. press — newspapers
  3. saw — the tool
  4. press — a publisher
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. drill — army training
  8. drill — a practice
  9. drill — the tool
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. press — to push
  13. saw — the tool
  14. race — a contest
  15. bore — to tire
  16. kid — child
  17. race — the arms race
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. race — humankind
  21. kid — to tease
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. mine — for digging

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