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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. key — the most important part
  3. spell — magic
  4. ground — crushed
  5. key — in music
  6. spell — letters
  7. press — to push
  8. ground — the earth
  9. game — a match
  10. press — a publisher
  11. deal — to handle
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. branch — a division
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. spell — a short time
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. key — for a lock
  18. charge — in control
  19. charge — electricity
  20. charge — a price
  21. ground — a position
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. press — newspapers
  24. deal — a big deal

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