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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 116 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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. degree — an amount
  3. last — finally
  4. degree — from a university
  5. root — the cause
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. pitch — completely
  8. degree — temperature
  9. tube — the underground
  10. root — of a word
  11. root — of a plant
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. ball — a great time
  14. ground — a position
  15. ball — a dance
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. ground — the earth
  18. pass — a permit
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. tube — a container
  21. last — to go on
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. ground — crushed

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