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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 124 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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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: mate · deal · sharp · press · toast · hand · race · bore

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. bore — to drill
  4. press — to push
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. mate — a partner
  8. race — a contest
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. race — humankind
  11. toast — bread
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. race — the arms race
  15. press — newspapers
  16. sharp — clever
  17. bore — to tire
  18. hand — in cards
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. mate — a friend
  21. mate — to breed
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. hand — help
  24. deal — to handle

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