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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. swing — music
  5. key — in music
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. object — an aim
  8. fine — all right
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. key — for a lock
  11. press — a publisher
  12. swing — to play on
  13. key — the most important part
  14. object — to protest
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. fine — high quality
  19. press — to push
  20. object — a thing
  21. press — newspapers
  22. wind — moving air
  23. swing — in golf
  24. leaves — of a tree

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