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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. press — to push
  3. bore — to drill
  4. bore — to tire
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. staff — employees
  8. hand — help
  9. net — in sport
  10. press — a publisher
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — after costs
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. snap — to click
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. press — newspapers
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hand — in cards
  22. staff — a stick
  23. staff — employees
  24. bowl — a dish

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