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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  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. hand — help
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. land — ground
  6. land — a country
  7. press — a publisher
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. press — to push
  10. hand — in cards
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. key — in music
  15. press — newspapers
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. key — for a lock
  20. scale — size or range
  21. land — to come down
  22. scale — in music
  23. mine — for digging
  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