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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. cue — a hint
  4. key — the most important part
  5. kid — to tease
  6. shower — rain
  7. press — a publisher
  8. cue — a signal
  9. track — a path
  10. key — in music
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. spring — the season
  13. kid — child
  14. cue — for pool
  15. key — for a lock
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. press — newspapers
  18. track — to keep track
  19. shower — to wash
  20. spring — a coil
  21. track — a song
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. spring — of water

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