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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. press — newspapers
  4. key — for a lock
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. key — the most important part
  7. bound — obliged
  8. hand — in cards
  9. object — a thing
  10. bound — certain
  11. press — to push
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. press — a publisher
  14. mine — for digging
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. object — to protest
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. bound — tied together
  21. hand — help
  22. key — in music
  23. roll — a cake
  24. object — an aim

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