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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bore — to tire
  5. press — a publisher
  6. drill — army training
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. toast — bread
  9. cue — a signal
  10. press — newspapers
  11. bore — to drill
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. net — for catching
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. perch — the fish
  17. drill — a practice
  18. net — after costs
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. net — in sport
  21. cue — a hint
  22. cue — for pool
  23. drill — the tool
  24. press — to push

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