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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.

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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 · nail · stick · march · key · wind · cabinet · safe

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. press — to push
  3. march — music
  4. key — in music
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. wind — moving air
  7. march — the month
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. key — for a lock
  10. press — newspapers
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. press — a publisher
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. wind — moving air
  19. key — the most important part
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. march — the month
  24. nail — on a finger

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