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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  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. cell — in biology
  2. prune — to trim
  3. cell — a phone
  4. wound — an injury
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. press — newspapers
  7. key — in music
  8. face — part of the head
  9. key — the most important part
  10. club — for golf
  11. club — a group
  12. key — for a lock
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. club — for dancing
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. wound — an injury
  17. press — to push
  18. face — to point toward
  19. face — to confront
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. chip — for betting
  23. chip — to eat
  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