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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 like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. bore — to drill
  3. season — in sport
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. hand — help
  7. press — a publisher
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bound — certain
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. key — the most important part
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. press — newspapers
  18. key — in music
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. hand — in cards
  21. season — of the year
  22. press — to push
  23. bound — obliged
  24. key — for a lock

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