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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.

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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: fine · race · straw · press · bowl · key · rest · degree

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. rest — a break
  3. race — the arms race
  4. key — the most important part
  5. press — to push
  6. degree — temperature
  7. rest — what's left
  8. fine — high quality
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. press — a publisher
  11. degree — an amount
  12. degree — from a university
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. press — newspapers
  17. fine — all right
  18. key — in music
  19. race — a contest
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. race — humankind
  24. straw — dry grass

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