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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: date · row · bore · toast · snap · press · stick · shower

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. shower — rain
  4. press — newspapers
  5. row — a line
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. row — to paddle
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. press — to push
  15. snap — to click
  16. shower — to wash
  17. toast — bread
  18. bore — to tire
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — the fruit
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. press — a publisher
  23. bore — to drill
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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