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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 116 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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. key — for a lock
  3. club — a group
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. club — for dancing
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — to drop
  9. degree — an amount
  10. press — a publisher
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. key — the most important part
  13. key — in music
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. dip — to sink
  16. club — for golf
  17. plane — a tool
  18. press — newspapers
  19. degree — temperature
  20. fall — the season
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. chair — a leader
  24. press — to push

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