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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: trunk · lie · mark · cap · root · mate · degree · pitch

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. cap — a hat
  3. cap — of ice
  4. cap — a lid
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. root — of a word
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. lie — to recline
  9. mate — a friend
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. mate — a partner
  14. mark — a grade
  15. degree — temperature
  16. pitch — completely
  17. mate — to breed
  18. degree — an amount
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. root — of a plant
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. degree — from a university
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. root — the cause

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