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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 120 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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. tear — from crying
  3. press — newspapers
  4. tear — from crying
  5. cell — a phone
  6. key — in music
  7. tear — to rip
  8. foot — a measure
  9. press — a publisher
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. mine — for digging
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. cell — in biology
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. key — for a lock
  21. squash — to crush
  22. squash — the sport
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. press — to push

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