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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 120 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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. fine — high quality
  4. net — for catching
  5. root — of a plant
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. net — in sport
  8. fine — all right
  9. ground — a position
  10. degree — temperature
  11. net — after costs
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. ground — crushed
  14. dip — to sink
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. degree — from a university
  17. ground — the earth
  18. root — of a word
  19. sharp — clever
  20. degree — an amount
  21. hand — help
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. root — the cause

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