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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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. press — a publisher
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. drill — army training
  5. pop — soda
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. drill — the tool
  8. date — the fruit
  9. bore — to tire
  10. press — to push
  11. bore — to drill
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. season — of the year
  14. squash — the sport
  15. season — in sport
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. squash — to crush
  18. press — newspapers
  19. drill — a practice
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. pop — to visit
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. pop — music

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