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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 · cold · shower · cabinet · bore · mate · chair · key

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cold — not warm
  3. press — newspapers
  4. press — a publisher
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. bore — to drill
  7. shower — to wash
  8. mate — a partner
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. cold — an illness
  12. chair — a leader
  13. mate — to breed
  14. bore — to tire
  15. shower — rain
  16. key — for a lock
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. key — the most important part
  21. key — in music
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. press — to push
  24. mate — a friend

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