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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. staff — a stick
  3. staff — employees
  4. degree — an amount
  5. staff — employees
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. court — of a king
  8. press — to push
  9. degree — from a university
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. chip — for betting
  12. key — for a lock
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mate — to breed
  15. key — the most important part
  16. band — a ring
  17. court — for sport
  18. mate — a partner
  19. press — a publisher
  20. key — in music
  21. press — newspapers
  22. chip — to eat
  23. degree — temperature
  24. band — a music group

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