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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. cue — for pool
  3. perch — the fish
  4. cue — a hint
  5. root — the cause
  6. staff — a stick
  7. degree — an amount
  8. pop — music
  9. degree — temperature
  10. root — of a word
  11. degree — from a university
  12. pop — to visit
  13. file — a tool
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. staff — employees
  16. cue — a signal
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. file — a document
  19. file — a line of people
  20. pop — soda
  21. staff — employees
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. root — of a plant

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