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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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Word bank
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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. degree — an amount
  4. club — for dancing
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. can — to be able to
  7. chair — a leader
  8. plane — a tool
  9. degree — temperature
  10. can — a tin
  11. land — ground
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. land — a country
  16. land — to come down
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. root — of a word
  19. root — of a plant
  20. lie — to recline
  21. club — a group
  22. club — for golf
  23. degree — from a university
  24. can — a tin

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