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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. race — the arms race
  3. roll — a cake
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. suit — to fit
  7. press — to push
  8. degree — from a university
  9. degree — an amount
  10. suit — clothes
  11. key — in music
  12. perch — the fish
  13. suit — in cards
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. race — a contest
  16. press — newspapers
  17. degree — temperature
  18. race — humankind
  19. roll — a list
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. key — the most important part
  22. press — a publisher
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. fork — in a road

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