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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 124 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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. key — the most important part
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. press — newspapers
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. charge — in control
  7. press — to push
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. chest — a box
  12. charge — a price
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. object — an aim
  15. bat — the animal
  16. chest — of your body
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. chest — of your body
  19. charge — electricity
  20. object — to protest
  21. press — a publisher
  22. key — in music
  23. object — a thing
  24. date — the fruit

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