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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: key · degree · chair · lean · fan · pitch · staff · nail

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. degree — an amount
  3. staff — a stick
  4. staff — employees
  5. key — in music
  6. degree — temperature
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. key — the most important part
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. pitch — completely
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. lean — thin
  16. chair — a leader
  17. staff — employees
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. key — for a lock
  20. degree — from a university
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. lean — to bend

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