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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. root — of a plant
  5. degree — from a university
  6. march — music
  7. present — there
  8. vault — a safe
  9. rock — music
  10. root — of a word
  11. pitch — completely
  12. present — a gift
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. present — the time now
  15. degree — an amount
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. root — the cause
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. march — the month
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. rock — a stone
  22. wax — to grow
  23. march — the month
  24. rock — to move gently

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