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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. stand — to bear
  3. root — the cause
  4. mate — a partner
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. court — of law
  7. mate — a friend
  8. date — the fruit
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. degree — an amount
  11. root — of a plant
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. game — wild animals
  14. court — of a king
  15. mate — to breed
  16. degree — from a university
  17. game — a match
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. root — of a word
  20. vault — a safe
  21. court — for sport
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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