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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. key — for a lock
  5. press — a publisher
  6. press — newspapers
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bass — the fish
  9. ground — the earth
  10. degree — an amount
  11. ground — crushed
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. ground — a position
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. season — in sport
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. bass — low music
  18. degree — temperature
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. season — of the year
  21. degree — from a university
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. key — in music
  24. press — to push

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