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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: key · fork · deal · face · bound · chair · suit · press

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. deal — to handle
  3. bound — obliged
  4. press — newspapers
  5. key — the most important part
  6. suit — clothes
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. face — to confront
  10. chair — a leader
  11. key — in music
  12. bound — tied together
  13. press — to push
  14. key — for a lock
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. suit — in cards
  17. press — a publisher
  18. bound — certain
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. fork — in a road
  21. face — to point toward
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. suit — to fit
  24. face — part of the head

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