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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: wound · game · key · pass · press · degree · cap · nail

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. wound — an injury
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. key — for a lock
  5. degree — from a university
  6. cap — of ice
  7. pass — a permit
  8. game — wild animals
  9. key — the most important part
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. press — newspapers
  12. game — a match
  13. press — a publisher
  14. cap — a lid
  15. degree — an amount
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. degree — temperature
  18. wound — an injury
  19. key — in music
  20. cap — a hat
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. press — to push
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. nail — for a hammer

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