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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 116 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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. present — there
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. last — finally
  6. present — a gift
  7. board — to get on
  8. shower — rain
  9. track — a path
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bore — to tire
  14. press — to push
  15. track — to keep track
  16. press — newspapers
  17. press — a publisher
  18. shower — to wash
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. dip — to sink
  21. board — a committee
  22. present — the time now
  23. last — final
  24. last — to go on

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