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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. mate — to breed
  4. track — a song
  5. bore — to drill
  6. stand — to bear
  7. game — a match
  8. mate — a partner
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. game — wild animals
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. press — a publisher
  14. press — to push
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. mate — a friend
  17. track — to keep track
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. pound — a weight
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. press — newspapers
  24. track — a path

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