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

Word bank: key · march · bank · press · pit · kid

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. kid — child
  3. key — the most important part
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. march — the month
  6. kid — to tease
  7. pit — in a race
  8. press — to push
  9. key — in music
  10. press — newspapers
  11. bank — for money
  12. pit — a hole
  13. key — for a lock
  14. bank — of a river
  15. march — the month
  16. press — a publisher
  17. bank — for money
  18. march — music

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