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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. bore — to drill
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. degree — from a university
  6. last — to go on
  7. degree — temperature
  8. last — final
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. pit — in a race
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. last — finally
  18. press — newspapers
  19. bore — to tire
  20. degree — an amount
  21. press — a publisher
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. pit — a hole

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