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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. key — in music
  3. plane — a tool
  4. rush — hurry
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. key — for a lock
  7. content — the amount
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. deal — to handle
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. press — a publisher
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. press — to push
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. shower — to wash
  19. content — happy
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. press — newspapers
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. key — the most important part
  24. shower — rain

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