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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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Word bank
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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: rule · bass · plane · cold · degree · mark · root · last

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. root — the cause
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. bass — the fish
  5. last — finally
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. mark — a trace
  8. cold — an illness
  9. rule — government
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. degree — an amount
  13. root — of a plant
  14. rule — a law
  15. cold — not warm
  16. last — final
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. degree — temperature
  19. root — of a word
  20. last — to go on
  21. plane — a tool
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. mark — a grade
  24. bass — low music

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