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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. march — the month
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. swing — music
  7. march — music
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. bank — for money
  10. mine — for digging
  11. chip — for betting
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. press — a publisher
  14. march — the month
  15. bore — to drill
  16. swing — in golf
  17. swing — to play on
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. chip — to eat
  20. bank — for money
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. bank — of a river
  23. press — to push
  24. press — newspapers

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