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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. key — the most important part
  5. date — the fruit
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. press — newspapers
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. stem — to come from
  14. key — in music
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. sharp — clever
  17. pound — a weight
  18. bat — the animal
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. press — a publisher
  21. key — for a lock
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. bat — for baseball

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