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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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. last — final
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. last — to go on
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. key — in music
  9. press — a publisher
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. can — to be able to
  12. can — a tin
  13. scale — size or range
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. perch — the fish
  16. scale — in music
  17. last — finally
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. press — newspapers
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. can — a tin
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. press — to push

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