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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 112 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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. press — a publisher
  3. scale — size or range
  4. mug — a face
  5. club — a group
  6. drill — the tool
  7. mug — to rob
  8. key — for a lock
  9. club — for dancing
  10. press — newspapers
  11. mug — a cup
  12. key — the most important part
  13. current — of water
  14. bat — the animal
  15. drill — army training
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. scale — in music
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. club — for golf
  20. drill — a practice
  21. key — in music
  22. current — electric
  23. press — to push
  24. current — happening now

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