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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rule · key · kid · spring · bowl · press · rash · pitcher

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. rule — government
  3. spring — a coil
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. press — newspapers
  6. rash — a series
  7. key — in music
  8. spring — of water
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. press — a publisher
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. rash — hasty
  14. spring — the season
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. rule — a law
  17. key — for a lock
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. kid — to tease
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. key — the most important part
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. kid — child

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