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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: hand · pop · bore · rock · fork · drill · court · press

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. press — newspapers
  4. bore — to drill
  5. pop — to visit
  6. press — to push
  7. drill — a practice
  8. pop — music
  9. drill — the tool
  10. pop — soda
  11. rock — a stone
  12. fork — in a road
  13. drill — army training
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. court — for sport
  16. court — of law
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. court — of a king
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. hand — in cards
  22. rock — music
  23. hand — help
  24. bore — to tire

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