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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 116 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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. press — a publisher
  3. press — newspapers
  4. key — the most important part
  5. rest — what's left
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rash — a series
  9. wound — an injury
  10. tear — from crying
  11. key — for a lock
  12. key — in music
  13. rest — a break
  14. tear — to rip
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. rash — hasty
  18. wound — an injury
  19. press — to push
  20. snap — to click
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. tear — from crying
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. rest — what's left

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