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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 120 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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. mate — to breed
  3. key — for a lock
  4. rest — what's left
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. press — newspapers
  7. mate — a friend
  8. pound — a weight
  9. cap — a lid
  10. can — a tin
  11. cap — of ice
  12. key — in music
  13. rest — what's left
  14. key — the most important part
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. cap — a hat
  17. press — a publisher
  18. spell — letters
  19. mate — a partner
  20. can — a tin
  21. spell — a short time
  22. can — to be able to
  23. spell — magic
  24. rest — a break

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