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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. press — to push
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. spring — a coil
  8. bore — to drill
  9. last — finally
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. pound — a weight
  13. last — to go on
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. spring — the season
  16. bound — certain
  17. bore — to tire
  18. press — newspapers
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. bound — tied together
  21. last — final
  22. press — a publisher
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. bowl — to roll

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