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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. degree — an amount
  3. chest — of your body
  4. root — of a word
  5. spell — a short time
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. root — of a plant
  8. squash — the sport
  9. degree — from a university
  10. race — a contest
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. race — the arms race
  13. squash — to crush
  14. race — humankind
  15. spell — magic
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. root — the cause
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. chest — of your body
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. spell — letters
  24. chest — a box

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