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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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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: bowl · stick · degree · key · deal · press · hide · current

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. key — the most important part
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. press — a publisher
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. current — happening now
  10. key — in music
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. deal — to handle
  16. press — to push
  17. current — electric
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. key — for a lock
  20. degree — an amount
  21. degree — from a university
  22. press — newspapers
  23. current — of water
  24. degree — temperature

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