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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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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: wind · court · cabinet · key · racket · mouse · straw · press

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. key — the most important part
  4. key — for a lock
  5. press — a publisher
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. court — of a king
  9. court — of law
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wind — moving air
  12. press — to push
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. court — for sport
  16. press — newspapers
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. key — in music
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. wind — moving air

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