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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. key — the most important part
  3. suit — to fit
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. last — finally
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. kid — to tease
  8. last — to go on
  9. root — of a plant
  10. root — the cause
  11. suit — clothes
  12. press — to push
  13. suit — in cards
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. root — of a word
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. press — a publisher
  19. press — newspapers
  20. key — in music
  21. kid — child
  22. sharp — clever
  23. last — final
  24. racket — a loud noise

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