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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. ground — a position
  3. bore — to tire
  4. press — to push
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. ground — the earth
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wound — an injury
  9. land — to come down
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. ground — crushed
  12. press — newspapers
  13. land — ground
  14. wound — an injury
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. bore — to drill
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. clip — a video
  20. press — a publisher
  21. clip — for paper
  22. clip — to cut
  23. chair — a leader
  24. land — a country

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