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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. key — for a lock
  3. press — to push
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. board — a committee
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. rock — a stone
  11. press — a publisher
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. saw — the tool
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. shower — to wash
  18. press — newspapers
  19. key — in music
  20. saw — the tool
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. shower — rain
  23. board — to get on
  24. rock — music

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