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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. root — of a word
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. root — of a plant
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. root — the cause
  11. degree — from a university
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. cold — an illness
  14. bear — the animal
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. bear — the animal
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. ball — a dance
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. degree — an amount
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. cold — not warm
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. degree — temperature

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