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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. chair — a leader
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. mark — a grade
  5. press — newspapers
  6. content — the amount
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. bore — to tire
  9. present — a gift
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. degree — temperature
  12. press — a publisher
  13. degree — from a university
  14. lie — to recline
  15. degree — an amount
  16. present — the time now
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. content — happy
  19. mark — a trace
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. press — to push
  23. bore — to drill
  24. lie — an untruth

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