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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. last — to go on
  3. press — newspapers
  4. bore — to drill
  5. last — finally
  6. track — a path
  7. track — to keep track
  8. track — a song
  9. last — final
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. press — to push
  12. clip — for paper
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. chair — a leader
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. scale — in music
  17. bore — to tire
  18. plane — a tool
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. clip — a video
  21. scale — size or range
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. clip — to cut

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