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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rule · bore · mine · press · hide · field · kick · dip

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. bore — to drill
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. field — farmland
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. press — a publisher
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. rule — a law
  12. field — for sport
  13. press — newspapers
  14. kick — in football
  15. bore — to tire
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. dip — to sink
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. rule — government
  22. press — to push
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. field — a subject

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