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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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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: date · arm · temple · press · bass · fork · key · cold

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. press — a publisher
  3. bass — the fish
  4. press — to push
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. bass — low music
  7. key — in music
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — the fruit
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. press — newspapers
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. fork — in a road
  18. cold — an illness
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. cold — not warm
  22. key — for a lock
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. fork — a garden tool

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