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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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. club — for golf
  3. key — the most important part
  4. degree — from a university
  5. stock — goods
  6. press — a publisher
  7. mate — to breed
  8. face — to point toward
  9. mate — a partner
  10. face — part of the head
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. key — for a lock
  13. mate — a friend
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wind — moving air
  16. degree — an amount
  17. key — in music
  18. wind — moving air
  19. press — to push
  20. degree — temperature
  21. club — for dancing
  22. stock — shares
  23. face — to confront
  24. club — a group

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