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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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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: fan · plane · degree · rush · race · pitch · present · root

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. present — the time now
  3. present — a gift
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. race — the arms race
  6. degree — from a university
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. pitch — completely
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. degree — temperature
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. root — the cause
  14. present — there
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. root — of a word
  17. plane — a tool
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. race — a contest
  20. degree — an amount
  21. root — of a plant
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. race — humankind

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