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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. root — the cause
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. rush — hurry
  6. cue — a hint
  7. root — of a plant
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. degree — temperature
  11. cue — for pool
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. bark — to shout
  14. root — of a word
  15. stock — shares
  16. degree — an amount
  17. degree — from a university
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rash — a series
  20. stock — goods
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. temple — a place of worship

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