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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: press · mate · pass · bay · spring · chair · wind · key

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  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. mate — a partner
  2. wind — moving air
  3. mate — a friend
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. mate — to breed
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. press — newspapers
  10. key — in music
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. spring — the season
  13. press — a publisher
  14. wind — moving air
  15. key — the most important part
  16. pass — a permit
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. spring — a coil
  19. press — to push
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. chair — a leader
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. key — for a lock
  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