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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 120 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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. hand — help
  3. bore — to drill
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. object — an aim
  6. object — to protest
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. pass — a permit
  10. bore — to tire
  11. press — a publisher
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. rule — government
  14. rule — a law
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. object — a thing
  17. shower — to wash
  18. press — newspapers
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. hand — in cards
  22. press — to push
  23. rush — hurry
  24. shower — rain

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