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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: press · bay · tube · date · drill · fan · key · rash

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. date — the fruit
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. drill — a practice
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. key — in music
  7. rash — a series
  8. rash — hasty
  9. press — to push
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. press — newspapers
  14. key — for a lock
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. drill — the tool
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. key — the most important part
  22. press — a publisher
  23. tube — the underground
  24. tube — a container

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