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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: clip · press · chest · cue · leaves · key · swing · present

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  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. key — for a lock
  2. cue — a hint
  3. swing — music
  4. swing — to play on
  5. press — newspapers
  6. present — a gift
  7. clip — a video
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. press — to push
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. present — the time now
  12. cue — for pool
  13. chest — of your body
  14. press — a publisher
  15. cue — a signal
  16. clip — for paper
  17. clip — to cut
  18. chest — a box
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. chest — of your body
  21. present — there
  22. key — in music
  23. swing — in golf
  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