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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: court · toast · drill · bore · roll · press · arm · kid

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. press — a publisher
  3. court — for sport
  4. drill — the tool
  5. press — to push
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. toast — bread
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. roll — a list
  10. court — of a king
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. roll — a cake
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. press — newspapers
  17. court — of law
  18. kid — child
  19. drill — a practice
  20. kid — to tease
  21. bore — to drill
  22. drill — army training
  23. bore — to tire
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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