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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bore · fine · last · squash · mate · fork · season · press

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — in sport
  4. squash — to crush
  5. squash — the sport
  6. press — to push
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. last — finally
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. mate — to breed
  12. bore — to drill
  13. mate — a partner
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. bore — to tire
  16. press — newspapers
  17. mate — a friend
  18. fine — all right
  19. fork — in a road
  20. last — final
  21. press — a publisher
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. last — to go on
  24. fine — high quality

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