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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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Word bank
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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: rock · file · bore · clip · bay · press · bat · toast

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. toast — bread
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. file — a document
  5. clip — for paper
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. press — a publisher
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. clip — a video
  16. file — a tool
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. press — to push
  20. rock — music
  21. file — a line of people
  22. rock — a stone
  23. clip — to cut
  24. press — newspapers

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