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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 120 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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. row — a line
  3. chair — a leader
  4. row — to paddle
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. shower — rain
  7. shower — to wash
  8. bore — to drill
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. hand — help
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. bank — of a river
  14. bank — for money
  15. press — newspapers
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. season — of the year
  18. press — to push
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. bank — for money
  21. season — in sport
  22. press — a publisher
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. bore — to tire

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