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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. net — in sport
  3. press — newspapers
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — finally
  6. ball — a dance
  7. key — for a lock
  8. ball — a great time
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bat — the animal
  11. press — a publisher
  12. last — final
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. press — to push
  16. net — for catching
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. key — in music
  20. pound — a weight
  21. net — after costs
  22. key — the most important part
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. pound — for dogs

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