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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. rush — hurry
  3. degree — temperature
  4. swing — to play on
  5. scale — size or range
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. swing — music
  8. key — the most important part
  9. lean — thin
  10. cap — of ice
  11. press — newspapers
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. cap — a lid
  14. degree — an amount
  15. press — to push
  16. degree — from a university
  17. swing — in golf
  18. cap — a hat
  19. key — in music
  20. lean — to bend
  21. scale — in music
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. press — a publisher

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