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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. key — for a lock
  3. cue — for pool
  4. press — to push
  5. spring — a coil
  6. press — a publisher
  7. cue — a hint
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. pit — a hole
  10. cue — a signal
  11. root — the cause
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. root — of a word
  15. pit — in a race
  16. key — in music
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. bore — to drill
  19. root — of a plant
  20. spring — the season
  21. spring — of water
  22. bore — to tire
  23. sharp — clever
  24. press — newspapers

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