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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. court — of a king
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. kid — to tease
  8. degree — from a university
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. court — of law
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. degree — temperature
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. root — of a plant
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. kid — child
  19. degree — an amount
  20. court — for sport
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. root — the cause

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