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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 116 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 chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. rest — what's left
  3. last — finally
  4. pit — a hole
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. press — newspapers
  9. march — the month
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. march — the month
  12. last — to go on
  13. bore — to tire
  14. press — to push
  15. kid — to tease
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — a break
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. press — a publisher
  20. march — music
  21. last — final
  22. pit — in a race
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bowl — a dish

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