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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 120 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: ball · press · current · degree · rule · mouse · fork · key

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. rule — a law
  3. key — for a lock
  4. press — a publisher
  5. degree — temperature
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. rule — government
  8. degree — from a university
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. key — the most important part
  11. current — of water
  12. fork — in a road
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. current — happening now
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. ball — a great time
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. current — electric
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. key — in music
  21. ball — a dance
  22. press — to push
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. press — newspapers

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