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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 120 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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. root — of a word
  4. race — the arms race
  5. degree — temperature
  6. perch — the fish
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. fall — to drop
  9. race — a contest
  10. root — of a plant
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. track — a path
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. root — the cause
  15. track — to keep track
  16. degree — from a university
  17. degree — an amount
  18. kick — in football
  19. fall — to drop
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. dip — to sink
  22. race — humankind
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. fall — the season

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