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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pit · root · pitcher · land · swing · track · face · degree

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. swing — in golf
  3. land — to come down
  4. face — to point toward
  5. swing — to play on
  6. degree — from a university
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. land — a country
  9. track — to keep track
  10. track — a song
  11. pit — in a race
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. root — the cause
  14. face — to confront
  15. root — of a plant
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. swing — music
  18. face — part of the head
  19. pit — a hole
  20. root — of a word
  21. degree — an amount
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. track — a path
  24. degree — temperature

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