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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: clip · bowl · last · key · bound · roll · press · tube

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. key — the most important part
  3. bound — tied together
  4. press — a publisher
  5. press — to push
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. last — final
  8. press — newspapers
  9. key — in music
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. clip — to cut
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. clip — for paper
  15. roll — a list
  16. tube — the underground
  17. roll — a cake
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. last — to go on
  20. clip — a video
  21. bound — certain
  22. last — finally
  23. bound — obliged
  24. tube — a container

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