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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 116 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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. last — final
  3. tear — from crying
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. key — for a lock
  6. can — to be able to
  7. key — in music
  8. last — finally
  9. last — to go on
  10. press — newspapers
  11. scale — size or range
  12. game — wild animals
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. key — the most important part
  15. ball — a dance
  16. game — a match
  17. press — to push
  18. tear — to rip
  19. can — a tin
  20. ball — a great time
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. tear — from crying
  23. press — a publisher
  24. scale — in 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