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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. track — to keep track
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. press — a publisher
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. track — a song
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. spell — magic
  9. spell — a short time
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. pound — a weight
  13. bore — to tire
  14. plane — a tool
  15. bore — to drill
  16. press — to push
  17. date — the fruit
  18. spell — letters
  19. press — newspapers
  20. track — a path
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. row — a line
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. row — to paddle

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