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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. track — to keep track
  3. fine — all right
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. press — a publisher
  6. bore — to drill
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. root — of a word
  9. bear — the animal
  10. fine — high quality
  11. press — newspapers
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bore — to tire
  15. root — the cause
  16. press — to push
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. track — a song
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. root — of a plant
  23. track — a path
  24. scale — in music

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