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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. season — in sport
  3. shower — rain
  4. season — of the year
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. shower — to wash
  7. rush — hurry
  8. cell — a phone
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. cell — in biology
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. pass — a permit
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. row — a line
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. chair — a leader
  22. bore — to tire
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. row — to paddle

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