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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 ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. degree — an amount
  4. root — the cause
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. pit — in a race
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. degree — from a university
  9. swing — music
  10. root — of a word
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. swing — to play on
  14. season — of the year
  15. mine — for digging
  16. degree — temperature
  17. ball — a great time
  18. swing — in golf
  19. season — in sport
  20. ball — a dance
  21. fork — in a road
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. pit — a hole

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