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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. press — newspapers
  4. saw — the tool
  5. march — music
  6. fall — to drop
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. key — for a lock
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. press — a publisher
  11. rock — a stone
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. rock — music
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bark — to shout
  16. key — in music
  17. fall — the season
  18. press — to push
  19. saw — the tool
  20. fall — to drop
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. march — the month
  23. key — the most important part
  24. march — the month

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