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

Word bank: snap · band · fork · pitch · bore · press · season · cap

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. cap — a lid
  5. cap — of ice
  6. season — in sport
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. press — to push
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. cap — a hat
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. bore — to tire
  14. band — a ring
  15. pitch — completely
  16. fork — in a road
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. press — a publisher
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. season — of the year
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. band — a music group
  23. press — newspapers
  24. snap — to click

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