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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. root — of a word
  3. squash — the sport
  4. swing — to play on
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. last — final
  7. degree — an amount
  8. degree — temperature
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. chip — to eat
  11. swing — in golf
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. squash — to crush
  14. root — the cause
  15. degree — from a university
  16. chip — for betting
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. last — finally
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. last — to go on
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. swing — music

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