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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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. bore — to tire
  4. object — an aim
  5. roll — a cake
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. press — a publisher
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. roll — a list
  15. foot — a measure
  16. game — a match
  17. object — to protest
  18. game — wild animals
  19. press — newspapers
  20. bore — to drill
  21. press — to push
  22. wake — a trail
  23. object — a thing
  24. wake — before a funeral

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