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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. key — for a lock
  4. court — for sport
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. court — of a king
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. bark — to shout
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. key — the most important part
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. branch — a division
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. press — newspapers
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. court — of law
  22. key — in music
  23. press — a publisher
  24. bark — of a tree

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