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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. key — for a lock
  3. firm — a company
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. press — a publisher
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. firm — decided
  8. rest — what's left
  9. wind — moving air
  10. rest — a break
  11. rest — what's left
  12. wind — moving air
  13. key — in music
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. degree — from a university
  17. press — newspapers
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bear — the animal
  20. degree — temperature
  21. bark — to shout
  22. firm — steady
  23. press — to push
  24. key — the most important part

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