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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: drill · bay · net · rush · key · press · last · pass

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. pass — a permit
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. key — the most important part
  6. last — finally
  7. rush — hurry
  8. last — to go on
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. drill — the tool
  11. key — for a lock
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. press — to push
  14. net — after costs
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. key — in music
  17. last — final
  18. drill — army training
  19. drill — a practice
  20. net — for catching
  21. press — newspapers
  22. net — in sport
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. press — a publisher

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