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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: press · key · current · swing · hand · degree · fan · jam

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  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. hand — help
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. key — in music
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. press — a publisher
  6. press — to push
  7. key — for a lock
  8. swing — to play on
  9. swing — in golf
  10. hand — in cards
  11. degree — from a university
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. current — happening now
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. current — electric
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. press — newspapers
  19. degree — an amount
  20. swing — music
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. current — of water
  23. key — the most important part
  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