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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. key — the most important part
  3. press — a publisher
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. press — newspapers
  6. key — for a lock
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. press — to push
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. march — the month
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. key — in music
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. swing — to play on
  18. swing — in golf
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. march — the month
  22. swing — music
  23. stem — to come from
  24. stem — of a plant

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