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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: arm · press · bay · kid · lie · key · band · drill

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. key — in music
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. press — to push
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. lie — to recline
  7. drill — army training
  8. band — a music group
  9. band — a ring
  10. key — the most important part
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. drill — a practice
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. press — a publisher
  17. drill — the tool
  18. kid — child
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. key — for a lock
  21. kid — to tease
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. press — newspapers

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