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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. pop — music
  3. key — in music
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. march — the month
  6. firm — steady
  7. key — the most important part
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. pop — to visit
  11. press — to push
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. firm — decided
  14. firm — a company
  15. pop — soda
  16. march — music
  17. bore — to drill
  18. march — the month
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. press — newspapers
  22. key — for a lock
  23. press — a publisher
  24. cabinet — ministers

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