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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 120 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. key — for a lock
  5. press — to push
  6. staff — employees
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. vault — a safe
  9. press — a publisher
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. key — the most important part
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — help
  15. staff — employees
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. key — in music
  18. press — newspapers
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. pound — a weight
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. staff — a stick

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