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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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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 button?
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. rash — hasty
  3. shower — rain
  4. lie — to recline
  5. press — a publisher
  6. rock — music
  7. rash — a series
  8. shower — to wash
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. pop — to visit
  11. rock — a stone
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bore — to drill
  14. cell — in biology
  15. bore — to tire
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. press — newspapers
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. cell — a phone
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. pop — music
  24. pop — soda

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