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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 120 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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. drill — a practice
  4. degree — an amount
  5. cap — of ice
  6. suit — in cards
  7. swing — to play on
  8. present — the time now
  9. cap — a lid
  10. swing — in golf
  11. root — of a word
  12. suit — clothes
  13. present — there
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. swing — music
  16. suit — to fit
  17. drill — army training
  18. wake — a trail
  19. degree — from a university
  20. degree — temperature
  21. present — a gift
  22. cap — a hat
  23. root — of a plant
  24. root — the cause

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