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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. row — to paddle
  3. press — a publisher
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. press — to push
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — the animal
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. bore — to tire
  11. tear — to rip
  12. press — newspapers
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. row — a line
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bore — to drill
  19. pit — a hole
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. pit — in a race
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. stand — to bear
  24. date — the fruit

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