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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. pop — music
  3. board — a committee
  4. swing — music
  5. pop — soda
  6. degree — from a university
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. press — newspapers
  10. root — of a word
  11. swing — to play on
  12. root — the cause
  13. press — to push
  14. press — a publisher
  15. root — of a plant
  16. march — the month
  17. swing — in golf
  18. pass — a permit
  19. march — the month
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. march — music
  22. degree — temperature
  23. pop — to visit
  24. board — to get on

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