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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 · foot · last · bowl · file · clip · bore · swing

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. file — a line of people
  3. clip — for paper
  4. foot — a measure
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. last — finally
  7. bore — to drill
  8. press — newspapers
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. last — final
  11. press — to push
  12. file — a document
  13. file — a tool
  14. clip — to cut
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. swing — to play on
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. swing — music
  19. clip — a video
  20. bore — to tire
  21. press — a publisher
  22. last — to go on
  23. swing — in golf
  24. bowl — to roll

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