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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. net — for catching
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. drill — the tool
  8. ground — the earth
  9. net — in sport
  10. key — for a lock
  11. drill — a practice
  12. key — in music
  13. ground — crushed
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. press — to push
  16. ground — a position
  17. net — after costs
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. press — a publisher
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bat — the animal
  23. drill — army training
  24. key — the most important part

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