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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. track — a path
  3. row — a line
  4. press — to push
  5. band — a music group
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. present — the time now
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. band — a ring
  14. season — in sport
  15. press — a publisher
  16. track — a song
  17. bore — to drill
  18. season — of the year
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. present — a gift
  21. press — newspapers
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. track — to keep track
  24. present — there

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