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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 120 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: object · mine · board · press · kid · calf · bowl · key

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. mine — for digging
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. board — a committee
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. object — to protest
  10. kid — to tease
  11. press — to push
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. kid — child
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. board — to get on
  17. object — an aim
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. key — for a lock
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. object — a thing
  22. key — in music
  23. press — a publisher
  24. press — newspapers

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