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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. key — for a lock
  3. press — newspapers
  4. bulb — for light
  5. capital — money
  6. fall — the season
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. capital — a city
  9. saw — the tool
  10. spring — a coil
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. fall — to drop
  13. key — in music
  14. press — to push
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. fall — to drop
  17. press — a publisher
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. spring — the season
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. bulb — for light
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. saw — the tool
  24. spring — of water

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