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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: file · chip · press · trunk · key · content · swing · degree

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. press — a publisher
  3. content — the amount
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. file — a document
  6. swing — to play on
  7. press — newspapers
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. chip — to eat
  10. key — for a lock
  11. key — the most important part
  12. press — to push
  13. degree — temperature
  14. file — a tool
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. content — happy
  17. degree — from a university
  18. swing — music
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. file — a line of people
  21. degree — an amount
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. key — in music
  24. swing — in golf

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