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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: key · fork · wind · press · content · stick · bay · degree

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. press — newspapers
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. content — the amount
  5. key — the most important part
  6. key — for a lock
  7. content — happy
  8. degree — an amount
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. fork — in a road
  11. press — to push
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. degree — from a university
  14. key — in music
  15. wind — moving air
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. press — a publisher
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. degree — temperature

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