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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. spring — a coil
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. deal — to handle
  5. tube — the underground
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. spring — of water
  13. spring — the season
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. key — in music
  16. key — for a lock
  17. press — to push
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. tube — a container
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. press — a publisher
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. key — the most important part

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