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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. scale — size or range
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. press — to push
  7. key — in music
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. key — the most important part
  10. fork — in a road
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. scale — in music
  13. fine — high quality
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. key — for a lock
  16. deal — to handle
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. press — a publisher
  19. fine — all right
  20. press — newspapers
  21. chest — of your body
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. chest — a box

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