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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: object · season · press · fall · cap · toast · bark · key

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. fall — to drop
  3. object — a thing
  4. cap — of ice
  5. key — for a lock
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. key — the most important part
  8. cap — a hat
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bark — to shout
  13. toast — bread
  14. press — newspapers
  15. press — to push
  16. season — of the year
  17. cap — a lid
  18. fall — the season
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. key — in music
  21. press — a publisher
  22. object — to protest
  23. object — an aim
  24. season — in sport

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