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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. degree — temperature
  3. key — the most important part
  4. degree — an amount
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. tube — a container
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. roll — a cake
  10. present — there
  11. press — to push
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. present — the time now
  14. game — a match
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. press — a publisher
  17. game — wild animals
  18. tube — the underground
  19. key — in music
  20. deal — to handle
  21. degree — from a university
  22. press — newspapers
  23. roll — a list
  24. present — a gift

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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