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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. pitch — completely
  4. fall — to drop
  5. press — newspapers
  6. spring — of water
  7. band — a music group
  8. press — to push
  9. key — for a lock
  10. fall — to drop
  11. field — a subject
  12. press — a publisher
  13. spring — a coil
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. key — the most important part
  16. band — a ring
  17. field — for sport
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. spring — the season
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. field — farmland
  23. fall — the season
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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