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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. bore — to tire
  5. rash — hasty
  6. pop — soda
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. pop — music
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. press — newspapers
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. deal — to handle
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. press — a publisher
  20. pop — to visit
  21. rush — hurry
  22. rash — a series
  23. bore — to drill
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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