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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 116 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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. mark — a grade
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. last — finally
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. press — newspapers
  10. press — to push
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. mine — for digging
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. last — final
  20. mark — a trace
  21. press — a publisher
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. last — to go on
  24. trunk — of a tree

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