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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  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. press — newspapers
  2. key — the most important part
  3. spell — a short time
  4. staff — employees
  5. press — a publisher
  6. bass — the fish
  7. staff — a stick
  8. mate — a friend
  9. key — for a lock
  10. field — farmland
  11. spell — letters
  12. key — in music
  13. mate — a partner
  14. spell — magic
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. field — for sport
  17. craft — boats
  18. press — to push
  19. staff — employees
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. mate — to breed
  22. craft — a skill
  23. bass — low music
  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