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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. charge — in control
  3. press — a publisher
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. press — to push
  6. root — of a word
  7. charge — a price
  8. march — the month
  9. rock — music
  10. degree — an amount
  11. rock — a stone
  12. press — newspapers
  13. root — of a plant
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. root — the cause
  16. capital — money
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. degree — temperature
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. charge — electricity
  22. march — music
  23. capital — a city
  24. march — the month

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