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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. track — a song
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. ball — a dance
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. track — to keep track
  8. ball — a great time
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. press — to push
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. press — a publisher
  14. press — newspapers
  15. bore — to tire
  16. pitch — completely
  17. track — a path
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. bore — to drill
  20. stock — goods
  21. stock — shares
  22. lie — to recline
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. lie — an untruth

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