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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. content — the amount
  3. present — the time now
  4. press — a publisher
  5. bore — to drill
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. race — a contest
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. present — a gift
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. bore — to tire
  13. race — the arms race
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. last — to go on
  16. race — humankind
  17. present — there
  18. content — happy
  19. press — to push
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. press — newspapers
  24. last — final

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