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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. kid — to tease
  3. court — for sport
  4. root — of a plant
  5. court — of a king
  6. chest — of your body
  7. fork — in a road
  8. chest — of your body
  9. stand — to bear
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. kid — child
  15. chest — a box
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. degree — temperature
  18. degree — from a university
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. rock — music
  21. rock — a stone
  22. degree — an amount
  23. court — of law
  24. root — of a word

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