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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: hide · roll · degree · key · press · straw · season · hand

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. season — in sport
  3. press — to push
  4. hand — help
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. roll — a cake
  7. key — in music
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. season — of the year
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. degree — temperature
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. key — the most important part
  17. degree — an amount
  18. key — for a lock
  19. hand — in cards
  20. press — a publisher
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. roll — a list
  23. degree — from a university
  24. hide — to keep secret

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