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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 116 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: mate · wind · season · chair · press · key · firm · lie

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. mate — a partner
  5. wind — moving air
  6. season — of the year
  7. firm — decided
  8. press — newspapers
  9. key — for a lock
  10. firm — a company
  11. mate — to breed
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. firm — steady
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. lie — to recline
  17. season — in sport
  18. press — to push
  19. chair — a leader
  20. press — a publisher
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. key — in music
  23. mate — a friend
  24. chair — a professorship

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