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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. root — of a word
  3. object — to protest
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. game — wild animals
  7. degree — temperature
  8. roll — a list
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. root — of a plant
  12. key — the most important part
  13. roll — a cake
  14. row — to paddle
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. object — a thing
  17. degree — an amount
  18. root — the cause
  19. degree — from a university
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. row — a line
  22. key — for a lock
  23. game — a match
  24. object — an aim

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