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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mine · court · file · degree · bank · key · press · clip

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. bank — for money
  3. press — newspapers
  4. press — to push
  5. file — a line of people
  6. court — of a king
  7. degree — an amount
  8. court — of law
  9. file — a document
  10. key — for a lock
  11. clip — to cut
  12. key — in music
  13. clip — for paper
  14. degree — from a university
  15. court — for sport
  16. mine — for digging
  17. press — a publisher
  18. bank — for money
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. degree — temperature
  21. key — the most important part
  22. clip — a video
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. bank — of a river

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