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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. bore — to tire
  3. pass — a permit
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. cold — not warm
  7. spring — the season
  8. row — to paddle
  9. bore — to drill
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. fine — high quality
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. spring — a coil
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. spring — of water
  18. fine — all right
  19. row — a line
  20. press — to push
  21. mine — for digging
  22. press — newspapers
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. press — a publisher

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