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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 120 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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. press — a publisher
  3. rock — a stone
  4. track — a song
  5. root — of a word
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. press — newspapers
  8. root — of a plant
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. press — to push
  11. track — to keep track
  12. track — a path
  13. club — a group
  14. club — for golf
  15. rock — music
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. fork — in a road
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. degree — from a university
  20. root — the cause
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. club — for dancing
  23. degree — temperature
  24. mine — for digging

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