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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.

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: key · can · pitch · lie · degree · club · rock · press

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. lie — to recline
  3. pitch — completely
  4. press — a publisher
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. club — for golf
  7. press — to push
  8. degree — from a university
  9. club — a group
  10. key — the most important part
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. press — newspapers
  13. rock — a stone
  14. club — for dancing
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. can — a tin
  17. degree — an amount
  18. key — in music
  19. key — for a lock
  20. rock — music
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. degree — temperature
  23. can — a tin
  24. pitch — a sports field

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