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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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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 · fine · land · key · clip · pitcher · firm · present

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. clip — to cut
  4. press — newspapers
  5. present — the time now
  6. press — a publisher
  7. firm — decided
  8. present — there
  9. land — a country
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. present — a gift
  12. key — for a lock
  13. key — in music
  14. key — the most important part
  15. clip — for paper
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. firm — a company
  18. land — ground
  19. fine — all right
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. press — to push
  22. clip — a video
  23. firm — steady
  24. land — to come down

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