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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. press — to push
  4. tube — the underground
  5. press — a publisher
  6. pop — music
  7. season — of the year
  8. content — happy
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. bank — of a river
  12. pop — to visit
  13. content — the amount
  14. key — for a lock
  15. press — newspapers
  16. spring — a coil
  17. spring — of water
  18. season — in sport
  19. spring — the season
  20. tube — a container
  21. bank — for money
  22. pop — soda
  23. key — in music
  24. bank — for money

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