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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. land — a country
  3. chest — a box
  4. ground — crushed
  5. key — for a lock
  6. ground — the earth
  7. key — in music
  8. chest — of your body
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. chest — of your body
  11. stand — to bear
  12. press — newspapers
  13. land — to come down
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. track — a song
  18. press — a publisher
  19. ground — a position
  20. track — to keep track
  21. land — ground
  22. press — to push
  23. track — a path
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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