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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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468
Word bank
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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. press — to push
  3. cap — a hat
  4. club — a group
  5. drill — a practice
  6. spring — a coil
  7. drill — army training
  8. drill — the tool
  9. press — newspapers
  10. press — a publisher
  11. club — for dancing
  12. spring — the season
  13. march — music
  14. march — the month
  15. march — the month
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. key — the most important part
  18. key — in music
  19. club — for golf
  20. kick — in football
  21. spring — of water
  22. cap — of ice
  23. key — for a lock
  24. cap — a lid

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