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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. saw — the tool
  3. press — a publisher
  4. saw — the tool
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. land — a country
  7. ball — a dance
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. press — to push
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. land — ground
  15. bore — to drill
  16. fork — in a road
  17. ball — a great time
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. press — newspapers
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — for light
  24. ball — a round shape

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