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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 · bat · stick · press · fork · firm · cell · mug

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. firm — a company
  3. mug — to rob
  4. key — in music
  5. cell — a phone
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. fork — in a road
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bat — the animal
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. firm — decided
  14. press — a publisher
  15. press — newspapers
  16. mug — a cup
  17. mug — a face
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. firm — steady
  20. key — for a lock
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. cell — in biology
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. press — to push

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