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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 · shower · mate · press · wake · key · bulb · court

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. key — for a lock
  3. press — to push
  4. press — a publisher
  5. mate — to breed
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. press — newspapers
  8. key — the most important part
  9. wake — a trail
  10. shower — rain
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. key — in music
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. shower — to wash
  15. mate — a friend
  16. fine — all right
  17. court — of law
  18. fine — high quality
  19. mate — a partner
  20. court — of a king
  21. bulb — for light
  22. court — for sport
  23. bulb — for light
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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