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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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. key — for a lock
  3. press — a publisher
  4. fall — the season
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. field — farmland
  7. pit — a hole
  8. mate — a partner
  9. key — the most important part
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. mate — a friend
  12. swing — in golf
  13. mate — to breed
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. pit — in a race
  16. fall — to drop
  17. wake — a trail
  18. swing — to play on
  19. key — in music
  20. fall — to drop
  21. field — a subject
  22. swing — music
  23. field — for sport
  24. press — to push

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