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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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. stem — to come from
  3. key — the most important part
  4. key — for a lock
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. net — for catching
  7. game — wild animals
  8. net — in sport
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. wound — an injury
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. game — a match
  13. press — to push
  14. key — in music
  15. cue — for pool
  16. wound — an injury
  17. press — a publisher
  18. cue — a hint
  19. fork — in a road
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. net — after costs
  24. cue — a signal

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