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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. key — in music
  4. press — newspapers
  5. staff — a stick
  6. press — a publisher
  7. wound — an injury
  8. rock — music
  9. content — happy
  10. last — final
  11. key — the most important part
  12. last — finally
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. last — to go on
  16. content — the amount
  17. staff — employees
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. staff — employees
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. rock — a stone
  22. key — for a lock
  23. wound — an injury
  24. content — videos and posts

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