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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. key — in music
  3. key — the most important part
  4. press — a publisher
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. land — ground
  7. press — newspapers
  8. wound — an injury
  9. land — a country
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. key — for a lock
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. lean — thin
  17. roll — a cake
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. roll — a list
  20. foot — a measure
  21. fork — in a road
  22. lean — to bend
  23. wound — an injury
  24. press — to push

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