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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 sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. sharp — clever
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. press — a publisher
  9. kid — to tease
  10. toast — bread
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. press — newspapers
  13. bore — to tire
  14. cell — in biology
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. cell — a phone
  17. press — to push
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. bore — to drill
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. kid — child

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