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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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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: staff · rash · scale · degree · lie · sharp · press · key

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. key — for a lock
  3. scale — in music
  4. staff — a stick
  5. press — newspapers
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rash — hasty
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. press — a publisher
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. press — to push
  13. scale — size or range
  14. degree — an amount
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. sharp — clever
  17. staff — employees
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. degree — temperature
  20. staff — employees
  21. key — the most important part
  22. key — in music
  23. rash — a series
  24. lie — to recline

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