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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. bore — to tire
  3. saw — the tool
  4. file — a line of people
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. content — the amount
  7. file — a tool
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. saw — the tool
  11. current — electric
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. current — of water
  14. press — newspapers
  15. current — happening now
  16. file — a document
  17. season — in sport
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. content — happy
  20. press — a publisher
  21. season — of the year
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. bore — to drill
  24. press — to push

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