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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  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. degree — from a university
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. rush — hurry
  4. root — of a word
  5. degree — an amount
  6. track — to keep track
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. charge — electricity
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. charge — a price
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. root — the cause
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — ground
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. root — of a plant
  17. track — a song
  18. track — a path
  19. charge — in control
  20. land — a country
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mouse — the animal
  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