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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: dip · club · press · craft · key · cold

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. craft — a skill
  3. club — for dancing
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. press — to push
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. key — for a lock
  8. cold — an illness
  9. dip — to sink
  10. key — the most important part
  11. press — newspapers
  12. craft — boats
  13. club — a group
  14. key — in music
  15. club — for golf
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. cold — not warm

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