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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. chest — a box
  3. wind — moving air
  4. press — a publisher
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. key — in music
  7. key — the most important part
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. wind — moving air
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. mine — for digging
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. press — to push
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. chest — of your body
  18. scale — in music
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. press — newspapers
  21. scale — size or range
  22. toast — bread
  23. chest — of your body
  24. wind — to turn a key

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