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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.

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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. root — the cause
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. game — a match
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. degree — an amount
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. perch — the fish
  9. rest — what's left
  10. degree — from a university
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. rest — a break
  13. rest — what's left
  14. degree — temperature
  15. game — wild animals
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. root — of a plant

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