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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. press — a publisher
  3. hand — in cards
  4. hand — help
  5. bore — to tire
  6. shower — rain
  7. fine — high quality
  8. rock — a stone
  9. fine — all right
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. bore — to drill
  16. press — newspapers
  17. rock — music
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cell — in biology
  20. shower — to wash
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. press — to push
  24. cell — a phone

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