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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.

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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: press · key · cue · clip · pitcher · cabinet · hand · wind

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. clip — a video
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. key — for a lock
  8. clip — to cut
  9. hand — help
  10. cue — a signal
  11. wind — moving air
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. key — the most important part
  14. cue — a hint
  15. key — in music
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. wind — moving air
  19. press — a publisher
  20. press — to push
  21. clip — for paper
  22. cue — for pool
  23. press — newspapers
  24. hand — in cards

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