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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: key · mate · ground · straw · press · cabinet · object · clip

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. key — in music
  4. mate — a partner
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. press — newspapers
  7. ground — a position
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. key — for a lock
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. ground — the earth
  12. key — the most important part
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mate — to breed
  15. clip — a video
  16. clip — to cut
  17. object — to protest
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. object — an aim
  20. clip — for paper
  21. press — a publisher
  22. object — a thing
  23. press — to push
  24. ground — crushed

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