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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 116 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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. chair — a leader
  4. bore — to tire
  5. press — to push
  6. row — a line
  7. hand — help
  8. fall — to drop
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. press — newspapers
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. fall — to drop
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. row — to paddle
  15. press — a publisher
  16. ball — a dance
  17. pass — a permit
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. bore — to drill
  21. ball — a great time
  22. hand — in cards
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. fall — the season

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