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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 116 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.

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: track · kick · key · cold · press · mate · pop · rash

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. rash — hasty
  3. pop — soda
  4. cold — an illness
  5. mate — a friend
  6. kick — in football
  7. pop — to visit
  8. mate — a partner
  9. mate — to breed
  10. track — a song
  11. press — newspapers
  12. rash — a series
  13. key — in music
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. press — a publisher
  17. press — to push
  18. key — the most important part
  19. track — a path
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. cold — not warm
  22. pop — music
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. track — to keep track

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