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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  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. sharp — clever
  2. key — for a lock
  3. key — in music
  4. cold — not warm
  5. roll — a list
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. press — newspapers
  9. bass — the fish
  10. key — the most important part
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. rule — government
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. rule — a law
  18. cold — an illness
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. press — to push
  22. bass — low music
  23. roll — a cake
  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