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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: mine · press · cue · key · pitch · degree · can · wind

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. key — in music
  3. press — to push
  4. can — to be able to
  5. degree — temperature
  6. mine — for digging
  7. cue — a signal
  8. degree — an amount
  9. wind — moving air
  10. press — newspapers
  11. key — for a lock
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. can — a tin
  14. pitch — completely
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. cue — for pool
  17. degree — from a university
  18. press — a publisher
  19. can — a tin
  20. key — the most important part
  21. cue — a hint
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. wind — moving air
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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