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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 a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. key — in music
  3. ground — the earth
  4. march — the month
  5. object — a thing
  6. object — an aim
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. last — final
  9. march — the month
  10. ground — a position
  11. press — newspapers
  12. ground — crushed
  13. march — music
  14. press — to push
  15. last — to go on
  16. press — a publisher
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. key — for a lock
  19. key — the most important part
  20. object — to protest
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. pit — in a race
  23. pit — a hole
  24. last — finally

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