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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  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. ground — the earth
  2. wake — a trail
  3. club — for golf
  4. root — the cause
  5. club — a group
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. root — of a word
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. club — for dancing
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. ground — crushed
  15. chair — a leader
  16. ground — a position
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. degree — from a university
  19. root — of a plant
  20. date — the fruit
  21. degree — an amount
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — ministers
  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