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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. craft — a skill
  3. degree — an amount
  4. root — the cause
  5. degree — temperature
  6. degree — from a university
  7. cue — for pool
  8. bear — the animal
  9. dip — to sink
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. root — of a plant
  12. pitch — completely
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — the season
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. root — of a word
  20. spring — a coil
  21. cue — a signal
  22. bear — the animal
  23. cue — a hint
  24. craft — a handicraft

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