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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. press — to push
  4. scale — size or range
  5. scale — in music
  6. key — the most important part
  7. game — a match
  8. press — a publisher
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. game — wild animals
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. rule — government
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. key — in music
  17. sharp — clever
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. stock — goods
  20. stock — shares
  21. rule — a law
  22. press — newspapers
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bore — to tire

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