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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. degree — an amount
  3. press — newspapers
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. root — of a word
  7. press — a publisher
  8. root — of a plant
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. degree — temperature
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. mine — for digging
  13. sharp — clever
  14. cap — a hat
  15. net — in sport
  16. degree — from a university
  17. net — for catching
  18. press — to push
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. root — the cause
  21. net — after costs
  22. cap — of ice
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. nail — for a hammer

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