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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
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: kick · degree · cabinet · press · key · mine · lie · bass

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — to recline
  5. degree — an amount
  6. press — to push
  7. key — in music
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. press — newspapers
  11. bass — the fish
  12. key — for a lock
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. degree — from a university
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. key — the most important part
  17. mine — for digging
  18. degree — temperature
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. kick — in football
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bass — low music
  24. press — a publisher

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