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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: key · lash · bore · sharp · last · bear · spell · press

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. press — a publisher
  3. last — final
  4. key — the most important part
  5. sharp — clever
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. bore — to drill
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. key — in music
  12. bore — to tire
  13. last — finally
  14. spell — magic
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. spell — a short time
  17. press — to push
  18. last — to go on
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. press — newspapers
  23. key — for a lock
  24. sharp — exactly

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