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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. degree — temperature
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. degree — an amount
  6. root — of a word
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. prune — to trim
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. stock — goods
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. root — the cause
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. stock — shares
  17. prune — to trim
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. rush — hurry
  20. dip — to sink
  21. root — of a plant
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. degree — from a university
  24. fan — a supporter

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