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

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. root — of a plant
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. degree — from a university
  5. degree — temperature
  6. rush — hurry
  7. squash — the sport
  8. pass — a permit
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. root — of a word
  11. squash — to crush
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. degree — an amount
  15. root — the cause
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. rush — to hurry

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