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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. degree — an amount
  4. press — a publisher
  5. plane — a tool
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. game — wild animals
  9. mine — for digging
  10. game — a match
  11. degree — temperature
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. press — newspapers
  14. degree — from a university
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. press — to push
  18. root — the cause
  19. mark — a trace
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. root — of a plant
  23. mark — a grade
  24. leaves — lets stay

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