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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 116 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 a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. face — to confront
  3. stock — shares
  4. degree — an amount
  5. cell — a phone
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. stock — goods
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. degree — temperature
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. cap — of ice
  12. mark — a trace
  13. mark — a grade
  14. face — part of the head
  15. degree — from a university
  16. cap — a lid
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. cell — in biology
  19. cap — a hat
  20. root — of a word
  21. root — the cause
  22. face — to point toward
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. snap — to click

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