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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. bore — to drill
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. scale — in music
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. press — a publisher
  7. scale — size or range
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. cell — a phone
  10. mate — a partner
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. tear — from crying
  13. mate — to breed
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. tear — to rip
  16. tear — from crying
  17. cell — in biology
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. mate — a friend
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. press — to push
  23. bore — to tire
  24. press — newspapers

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