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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. press — to push
  5. key — for a lock
  6. game — a match
  7. bank — of a river
  8. drill — army training
  9. pit — a hole
  10. press — a publisher
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. press — newspapers
  14. pit — in a race
  15. bank — for money
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. key — the most important part
  19. key — in music
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. drill — the tool
  22. dip — to sink
  23. bank — for money
  24. drill — a practice

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