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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. field — for sport
  3. pitch — completely
  4. root — of a plant
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. degree — from a university
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. field — a subject
  9. degree — an amount
  10. root — of a word
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. press — newspapers
  13. press — a publisher
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. root — the cause
  19. tube — the underground
  20. degree — temperature
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. press — to push
  23. field — farmland
  24. tube — a container

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