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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: branch · game · season · bay · press · last · racket · key

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. key — in music
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. key — the most important part
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. key — for a lock
  7. last — finally
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. last — final
  10. press — a publisher
  11. season — of the year
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. season — in sport
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. press — newspapers
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. last — to go on
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. game — wild animals
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. game — a match
  23. branch — a division
  24. branch — of a tree

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