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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.

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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: key · fork · pass · degree · fall · press · cell · perch

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. fork — in a road
  3. press — newspapers
  4. key — for a lock
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. fall — to drop
  8. key — the most important part
  9. key — in music
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. press — to push
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. perch — the fish
  14. degree — from a university
  15. fall — to drop
  16. press — a publisher
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. cell — a phone
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. fall — the season
  21. degree — an amount
  22. degree — temperature
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. cell — in biology

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