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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.

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: capital · pit · ball · sharp · cold · bore · press · foot

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. foot — a measure
  4. cold — an illness
  5. capital — money
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. press — to push
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. capital — a city
  10. ball — a dance
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. press — a publisher
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. sharp — clever
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. ball — a great time
  17. press — newspapers
  18. pit — in a race
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. cold — not warm
  21. pit — a hole
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. bore — to tire
  24. sharp — exactly

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