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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. land — a country
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. press — newspapers
  6. land — ground
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. degree — an amount
  9. prune — to trim
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. degree — from a university
  12. key — for a lock
  13. key — in music
  14. degree — temperature
  15. press — to push
  16. land — to come down
  17. saw — the tool
  18. staff — a stick
  19. saw — the tool
  20. prune — to trim
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — employees
  24. press — a publisher

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