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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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. mark — a grade
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. ball — a dance
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. last — to go on
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. mark — a trace
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. bore — to drill
  15. press — a publisher
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. last — finally
  18. bore — to tire
  19. tear — from crying
  20. press — newspapers
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. tear — to rip
  23. press — to push
  24. last — final

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