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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 120 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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. ground — crushed
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. hand — help
  5. key — the most important part
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. press — a publisher
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. key — in music
  13. key — for a lock
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. press — newspapers
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. ground — a position
  20. hand — in cards
  21. press — to push
  22. wax — to grow
  23. mine — for digging
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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