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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: fine · press · jam · kick · wound · straw · key · object

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. wound — an injury
  3. kick — in football
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. object — an aim
  8. key — for a lock
  9. fine — all right
  10. object — a thing
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. press — newspapers
  13. press — a publisher
  14. key — the most important part
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. object — to protest
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. key — in music
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. wound — an injury
  24. press — to push

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