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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. key — for a lock
  3. degree — an amount
  4. last — finally
  5. degree — temperature
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. tube — the underground
  8. key — the most important part
  9. root — of a plant
  10. sharp — clever
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. deal — to handle
  14. degree — from a university
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. key — in music
  20. last — final
  21. root — the cause
  22. last — to go on
  23. tube — a container
  24. deal — a big deal

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