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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. hand — in cards
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. root — of a word
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. pitch — completely
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. root — the cause
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. press — a publisher
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. press — to push
  17. hand — help
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. press — newspapers
  20. degree — from a university
  21. degree — an amount
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. degree — temperature
  24. pitch — a sports field

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