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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. last — final
  3. file — a tool
  4. press — a publisher
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. last — finally
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. bore — to tire
  11. file — a document
  12. file — a line of people
  13. bore — to drill
  14. press — to push
  15. saw — the tool
  16. last — to go on
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. mine — for digging
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. hide — animal skin

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