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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. key — for a lock
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. wound — an injury
  6. key — the most important part
  7. wound — an injury
  8. degree — temperature
  9. chest — a box
  10. press — to push
  11. degree — an amount
  12. key — in music
  13. can — a tin
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. can — a tin
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. press — a publisher
  18. can — to be able to
  19. press — newspapers
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — of your body

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