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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 · stand · press · chest · spell · key · mug · degree

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. chest — a box
  3. spell — magic
  4. press — a publisher
  5. chest — of your body
  6. staff — employees
  7. key — the most important part
  8. degree — temperature
  9. mug — to rob
  10. press — newspapers
  11. chest — of your body
  12. degree — an amount
  13. mug — a cup
  14. spell — a short time
  15. key — for a lock
  16. stand — to bear
  17. mug — a face
  18. staff — employees
  19. press — to push
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. spell — letters
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. key — in music
  24. degree — from a university

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