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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. press — a publisher
  3. rash — a series
  4. last — finally
  5. bore — to drill
  6. field — farmland
  7. last — to go on
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. field — a subject
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. toast — bread
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. rash — hasty
  15. bore — to tire
  16. press — newspapers
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. press — to push
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. field — for sport
  22. bark — to shout
  23. dip — to sink
  24. rash — on the skin

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