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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. key — the most important part
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wake — a trail
  6. scale — in music
  7. deal — to handle
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. key — in music
  10. suit — to fit
  11. net — in sport
  12. key — for a lock
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — after costs
  16. press — to push
  17. bark — to shout
  18. scale — size or range
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. suit — in cards
  21. suit — clothes
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. press — newspapers
  24. press — a publisher

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