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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  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. deal — to handle
  2. wake — a trail
  3. degree — an amount
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. degree — temperature
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. land — a country
  13. land — ground
  14. root — of a word
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. board — a committee
  17. toast — bread
  18. root — the cause
  19. degree — from a university
  20. board — to get on
  21. root — of a plant
  22. land — to come down
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  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