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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: press · bay · hand · wind · key · last · land · cabinet

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. press — to push
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. land — a country
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. last — to go on
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. hand — in cards
  10. land — ground
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. press — a publisher
  13. wind — moving air
  14. press — newspapers
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. key — in music
  18. wind — moving air
  19. last — finally
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. key — for a lock
  22. hand — help
  23. last — final
  24. land — to come down

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