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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: drill · chest · pit · roll · press · bore · leaves · cue

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. chest — of your body
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. press — to push
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. press — a publisher
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. cue — for pool
  9. roll — a cake
  10. drill — a practice
  11. pit — a hole
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bore — to tire
  14. chest — a box
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. cue — a signal
  17. drill — army training
  18. press — newspapers
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. chest — of your body
  21. cue — a hint
  22. roll — a list
  23. pit — in a race
  24. drill — the tool

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