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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. saw — the tool
  4. current — electric
  5. drill — the tool
  6. current — of water
  7. root — of a word
  8. drill — a practice
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. root — the cause
  11. wound — an injury
  12. saw — the tool
  13. degree — from a university
  14. kick — in football
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. current — happening now
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. degree — an amount
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. drill — army training
  22. wound — an injury
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. root — of a plant

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