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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 120 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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. foot — a measure
  4. press — to push
  5. cold — not warm
  6. key — in music
  7. key — the most important part
  8. mug — a face
  9. mug — to rob
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. mug — a cup
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. capital — a city
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. cold — an illness
  18. stock — shares
  19. stock — goods
  20. press — newspapers
  21. press — a publisher
  22. capital — money
  23. bore — to tire
  24. key — for a lock

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