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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
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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: tear · court · pop · press · bore · capital · content · board

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. press — a publisher
  3. bore — to tire
  4. content — the amount
  5. tear — from crying
  6. pop — music
  7. press — newspapers
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. capital — a city
  10. board — a committee
  11. court — of law
  12. capital — money
  13. pop — to visit
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. board — to get on
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. court — of a king
  18. court — for sport
  19. press — to push
  20. pop — soda
  21. content — happy
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — to rip
  24. bore — gave birth

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