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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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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: press · key · toast · cap · bay · tear · lie · track

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. tear — from crying
  3. track — a song
  4. cap — of ice
  5. tear — to rip
  6. cap — a hat
  7. press — newspapers
  8. press — a publisher
  9. cap — a lid
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. tear — from crying
  13. toast — bread
  14. track — to keep track
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. key — the most important part
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. lie — to recline
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. press — to push
  22. key — for a lock
  23. track — a path
  24. key — in music

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