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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. capital — money
  3. bound — obliged
  4. can — a tin
  5. press — a publisher
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. mate — a friend
  8. can — a tin
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. kid — child
  11. bore — to tire
  12. kid — to tease
  13. mate — a partner
  14. press — newspapers
  15. bound — certain
  16. can — to be able to
  17. mate — to breed
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bore — to drill
  20. bound — tied together
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — the tool
  23. capital — a city
  24. capital — a big letter

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