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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: press · sharp · fine · fan · ground · key · mine · stick

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. key — for a lock
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. ground — crushed
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. key — in music
  12. press — to push
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. fine — high quality
  15. ground — a position
  16. mine — for digging
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. press — a publisher
  19. key — the most important part
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. sharp — clever
  22. ground — the earth
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. press — newspapers

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