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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: board · pitcher · track · bore · toast · press · last · pit

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. last — final
  3. pit — a hole
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. track — to keep track
  6. track — a path
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. press — to push
  9. track — a song
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. pit — in a race
  12. last — to go on
  13. board — a committee
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. board — to get on
  16. toast — bread
  17. press — a publisher
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. last — finally
  21. press — newspapers
  22. bore — to tire
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bore — to drill

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