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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. deal — to handle
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. mine — for digging
  8. key — for a lock
  9. key — in music
  10. key — the most important part
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. root — the cause
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. press — to push
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. press — a publisher
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. root — of a plant
  20. press — newspapers
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. root — of a word
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. deal — a big deal

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