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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 116 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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. staff — employees
  3. key — the most important part
  4. key — in music
  5. press — a publisher
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. press — to push
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. bore — to drill
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rash — hasty
  14. bore — to tire
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. rash — a series
  17. press — newspapers
  18. sharp — clever
  19. staff — employees
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. staff — a stick
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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