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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
468
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: track · mine · pit · clip · wind · press · key · spell

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. press — a publisher
  3. spell — letters
  4. track — a song
  5. press — newspapers
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. spell — magic
  8. track — a path
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. key — in music
  11. pit — in a race
  12. key — the most important part
  13. spell — a short time
  14. clip — for paper
  15. wind — moving air
  16. key — for a lock
  17. pit — a hole
  18. clip — to cut
  19. mine — for digging
  20. clip — a video
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. wind — moving air
  23. track — to keep track
  24. mine — belonging to me

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