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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: press · bore · drill · chair · roll · cabinet · toast · straw

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bore — to drill
  4. drill — a practice
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. press — a publisher
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. roll — a list
  11. toast — bread
  12. roll — a cake
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. drill — the tool
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. chair — a leader
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. drill — army training
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. press — to push

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