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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: object · wind · rock · cold · bay · press · mark · key

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. mark — a grade
  4. press — a publisher
  5. key — in music
  6. object — to protest
  7. key — the most important part
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. wind — moving air
  10. cold — not warm
  11. press — newspapers
  12. press — to push
  13. object — a thing
  14. wind — moving air
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. object — an aim
  17. rock — music
  18. key — for a lock
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. rock — a stone
  22. mark — a trace
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. rock — to move gently

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