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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. degree — from a university
  3. root — of a word
  4. root — of a plant
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. degree — temperature
  7. rest — a break
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. root — the cause
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. capital — a city
  14. degree — an amount
  15. wind — moving air
  16. cue — a hint
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. cue — for pool
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. rest — what's left
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. cue — a signal
  23. rest — what's left
  24. capital — money

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