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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've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. root — of a plant
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. degree — from a university
  7. root — the cause
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. root — of a word
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. key — for a lock
  12. key — the most important part
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. face — to point toward
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. degree — an amount
  18. key — in music
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. degree — temperature
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. face — to confront
  23. face — part of the head
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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