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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 like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. bore — to drill
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. bass — the fish
  5. wound — an injury
  6. hand — in cards
  7. press — to push
  8. fall — the season
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. press — newspapers
  13. wound — an injury
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. hand — help
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. press — a publisher
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. bore — to tire
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. bass — low music
  24. fall — to drop

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