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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: pop · press · ground · march · lean · bat · key · temple

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. ground — a position
  3. key — in music
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. pop — music
  6. march — the month
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. march — the month
  9. pop — to visit
  10. press — to push
  11. lean — to bend
  12. ground — crushed
  13. ground — the earth
  14. pop — soda
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. press — newspapers
  18. press — a publisher
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. bat — the animal
  21. lean — thin
  22. march — music
  23. key — for a lock
  24. bat — for baseball

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