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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. pit — in a race
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. season — of the year
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bore — to tire
  12. stand — to bear
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bore — to drill
  16. press — a publisher
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. season — in sport
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. pit — a hole
  21. press — newspapers
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. press — to push

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