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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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Word bank
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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: pitcher · saw · key · degree · nail · press · pit · trunk

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. key — the most important part
  4. pit — a hole
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. press — a publisher
  8. press — newspapers
  9. degree — an amount
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. key — for a lock
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. degree — temperature
  14. key — in music
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. saw — the tool
  17. pit — in a race
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. saw — the tool
  20. press — to push
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. degree — from a university
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. pitcher — a jug

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