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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: rest · key · coach · mine · snap · straw · press · fine

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. rest — what's left
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mine — for digging
  6. fine — high quality
  7. snap — to click
  8. rest — a break
  9. rest — what's left
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. press — newspapers
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. fine — all right
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. key — for a lock
  19. key — the most important part
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. press — a publisher
  22. key — in music
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  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