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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. drill — the tool
  3. drill — army training
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. bore — to drill
  6. bore — to tire
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. mark — a trace
  10. wound — an injury
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. press — newspapers
  13. press — to push
  14. wound — an injury
  15. pound — a weight
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. shower — rain
  19. press — a publisher
  20. drill — a practice
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. mark — a grade
  24. pound — to hit hard

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