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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bass — low music
  8. foot — a measure
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. press — to push
  13. press — newspapers
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. bore — to tire
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bore — to drill
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. kick — in football
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. press — a publisher
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. mouse — the animal

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