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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.

Make a worksheet

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: leaves · degree · mine · pitch · mate · root · pitcher · staff

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  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. mine — an explosive
  2. root — of a plant
  3. degree — from a university
  4. mate — a partner
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. staff — a stick
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. staff — employees
  10. root — the cause
  11. mine — for digging
  12. staff — employees
  13. degree — an amount
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. root — of a word
  18. mate — to breed
  19. mate — a friend
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. pitch — completely
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  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