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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. pass — a permit
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. chest — of your body
  5. squash — to crush
  6. spring — the season
  7. scale — size or range
  8. wake — a trail
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. key — in music
  12. scale — in music
  13. squash — the sport
  14. press — newspapers
  15. spring — a coil
  16. key — for a lock
  17. spring — of water
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. chest — of your body
  20. press — to push
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. key — the most important part
  24. press — a publisher

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