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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. press — a publisher
  5. game — a match
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. game — wild animals
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. press — to push
  14. stem — to come from
  15. spell — a short time
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. spell — magic
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. spell — letters
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. key — in music
  23. key — the most important part
  24. press — newspapers

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