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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. kid — to tease
  3. kick — in football
  4. pitch — completely
  5. bound — certain
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. shower — rain
  8. press — to push
  9. shower — to wash
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. bound — tied together
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. press — newspapers
  15. press — a publisher
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. kid — child
  18. mate — a friend
  19. bore — to drill
  20. mate — a partner
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. bore — to tire
  23. bound — obliged
  24. kick — a thrill

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