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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. key — the most important part
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. press — to push
  6. key — in music
  7. band — a ring
  8. object — a thing
  9. board — to get on
  10. press — a publisher
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. board — a committee
  16. object — to protest
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. press — newspapers
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. band — a music group
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. key — for a lock
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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