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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. bore — to drill
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. press — to push
  6. bore — to tire
  7. squash — the sport
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. march — the month
  10. shower — rain
  11. march — the month
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. shower — to wash
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. march — music
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. press — a publisher
  19. squash — to crush
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. press — newspapers
  24. squash — the vegetable

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