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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. staff — a stick
  3. staff — employees
  4. pass — a permit
  5. degree — from a university
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bore — to tire
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. game — a match
  10. degree — temperature
  11. pitch — completely
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. press — newspapers
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. pound — a weight
  17. press — to push
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. staff — employees
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. degree — an amount
  23. game — wild animals
  24. press — a publisher

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