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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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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: mate · press · bear · bore · kick · spell · race · pitcher

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. kick — in football
  3. race — humankind
  4. mate — a partner
  5. spell — letters
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. press — to push
  8. race — a contest
  9. bore — to tire
  10. mate — to breed
  11. press — a publisher
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. spell — a short time
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. press — newspapers
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. race — the arms race
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. bear — the animal
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. bore — to drill
  23. mate — a friend
  24. bear — the animal

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