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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. key — the most important part
  3. press — a publisher
  4. key — for a lock
  5. key — in music
  6. face — to confront
  7. degree — from a university
  8. march — the month
  9. bank — of a river
  10. rush — hurry
  11. degree — an amount
  12. ground — a position
  13. press — to push
  14. face — part of the head
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. march — the month
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. press — newspapers
  19. ground — the earth
  20. bank — for money
  21. march — music
  22. degree — temperature
  23. bank — for money
  24. ground — crushed

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