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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. mine — for digging
  4. key — for a lock
  5. press — a publisher
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. club — for dancing
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. press — to push
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. club — a group
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pop — soda
  14. club — for golf
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. press — newspapers
  17. drill — a practice
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. key — the most important part
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. drill — army training
  22. drill — the tool
  23. pop — music
  24. arm — part of the body

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