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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. clip — to cut
  3. snap — to click
  4. key — for a lock
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. clip — a video
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. fall — to drop
  9. clip — for paper
  10. press — to push
  11. fall — to drop
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. present — there
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. ground — crushed
  16. ground — the earth
  17. present — the time now
  18. press — a publisher
  19. key — the most important part
  20. fall — the season
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. key — in music
  23. present — a gift
  24. ground — a position

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