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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. land — to come down
  3. key — for a lock
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. press — newspapers
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. pop — music
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. net — after costs
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. pop — soda
  13. land — a country
  14. spring — a coil
  15. spring — the season
  16. key — the most important part
  17. press — to push
  18. net — in sport
  19. spring — of water
  20. pop — to visit
  21. press — a publisher
  22. land — ground
  23. net — for catching
  24. vault — a safe

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