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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. degree — temperature
  3. root — of a plant
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. degree — from a university
  6. cap — of ice
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. bore — to tire
  9. mug — a face
  10. bore — to drill
  11. lean — thin
  12. mug — a cup
  13. root — of a word
  14. file — a tool
  15. stock — shares
  16. file — a line of people
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. cap — a lid
  19. degree — an amount
  20. root — the cause
  21. lean — to bend
  22. cap — a hat
  23. file — a document
  24. stock — goods

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