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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 116 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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. root — of a word
  6. wind — moving air
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. ball — a great time
  9. degree — an amount
  10. root — the cause
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. present — the time now
  13. root — of a plant
  14. wind — moving air
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. degree — temperature
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. ball — a dance
  21. present — a gift
  22. degree — from a university
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. present — there

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