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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. swing — in golf
  3. key — in music
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mate — a friend
  6. press — a publisher
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. bank — for money
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. drill — army training
  11. press — newspapers
  12. ball — a dance
  13. key — for a lock
  14. key — the most important part
  15. swing — music
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. swing — to play on
  18. bank — for money
  19. drill — the tool
  20. bank — of a river
  21. drill — a practice
  22. press — to push
  23. kick — in football
  24. ball — a great time

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