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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. content — happy
  3. bore — to tire
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. band — a music group
  8. tube — a container
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bore — to drill
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. band — a ring
  13. press — a publisher
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bat — the animal
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. kick — in football
  21. tube — the underground
  22. press — to push
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. content — the amount

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