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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. pit — a hole
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. key — the most important part
  5. pit — in a race
  6. deal — to handle
  7. press — a publisher
  8. net — for catching
  9. bank — for money
  10. bank — for money
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. press — to push
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. stem — to come from
  15. net — after costs
  16. key — in music
  17. press — newspapers
  18. bank — of a river
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. game — wild animals
  22. net — in sport
  23. game — a match
  24. deal — a big deal

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