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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. land — ground
  3. saw — the tool
  4. pop — to visit
  5. root — of a word
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. root — the cause
  9. sharp — clever
  10. degree — from a university
  11. kick — in football
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. land — to come down
  14. pop — soda
  15. saw — the tool
  16. root — of a plant
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. lie — to recline
  19. degree — an amount
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. land — a country
  22. pop — music
  23. degree — temperature
  24. lie — an untruth

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