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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. degree — from a university
  3. root — the cause
  4. squash — the sport
  5. staff — a stick
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. degree — temperature
  9. staff — employees
  10. drill — army training
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. scale — size or range
  13. press — a publisher
  14. staff — employees
  15. scale — in music
  16. root — of a word
  17. drill — a practice
  18. degree — an amount
  19. drill — the tool
  20. root — of a plant
  21. plane — a tool
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. press — to push
  24. press — newspapers

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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