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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bore — to drill
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. press — a publisher
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. press — to push
  10. game — wild animals
  11. content — the amount
  12. game — a match
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. stand — to bear
  15. rest — a break
  16. press — newspapers
  17. scale — in music
  18. snap — to click
  19. content — happy
  20. rest — what's left
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. scale — size or range

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