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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. squash — to crush
  3. degree — from a university
  4. key — the most important part
  5. key — for a lock
  6. charge — electricity
  7. squash — the sport
  8. charge — a price
  9. degree — temperature
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. rock — a stone
  12. root — of a plant
  13. rock — music
  14. key — in music
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. spring — of water
  17. spring — a coil
  18. charge — in control
  19. spring — the season
  20. root — the cause
  21. root — of a word
  22. foot — a measure
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. foot — the bottom

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