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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. key — for a lock
  3. wake — a trail
  4. key — in music
  5. press — a publisher
  6. suit — to fit
  7. field — for sport
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. key — the most important part
  10. shower — to wash
  11. press — newspapers
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. press — to push
  14. suit — clothes
  15. shower — rain
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. field — farmland
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. suit — in cards
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. field — a subject

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