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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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. bore — to tire
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. chest — of your body
  6. last — finally
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. press — newspapers
  10. cold — an illness
  11. chest — of your body
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. chest — a box
  14. last — final
  15. tube — a container
  16. press — to push
  17. tube — the underground
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. cold — not warm
  20. press — a publisher
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bound — certain
  24. last — to go on

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