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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. game — a match
  4. degree — an amount
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. game — wild animals
  10. cap — a hat
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. cap — of ice
  15. pop — music
  16. degree — from a university
  17. pop — to visit
  18. cap — a lid
  19. stem — to come from
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. root — the cause
  22. pop — soda
  23. root — of a plant
  24. root — of a word

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