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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: fine · mate · key · press · fork · safe · land · drill

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. mate — a friend
  3. key — for a lock
  4. key — in music
  5. drill — army training
  6. mate — a partner
  7. drill — the tool
  8. press — to push
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. land — ground
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. mate — to breed
  13. drill — a practice
  14. fine — all right
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. press — newspapers
  17. land — to come down
  18. fork — in a road
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. land — a country
  21. press — a publisher
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. key — the most important part

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