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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: press · face · degree · hand · chair · key · calf · deal

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — part of the head
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. press — to push
  8. degree — temperature
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. degree — from a university
  11. hand — help
  12. deal — to handle
  13. key — the most important part
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. hand — in cards
  16. key — in music
  17. face — to confront
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. press — a publisher
  21. press — newspapers
  22. chair — a leader
  23. degree — an amount
  24. calf — a young animal

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