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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. degree — temperature
  3. saw — the tool
  4. present — there
  5. snap — to click
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. scale — in music
  10. ball — a great time
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. present — the time now
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. wind — moving air
  17. scale — size or range
  18. degree — from a university
  19. present — a gift
  20. root — the cause
  21. degree — an amount
  22. root — of a word
  23. wind — moving air
  24. ball — a dance

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