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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. bass — the fish
  3. degree — an amount
  4. degree — temperature
  5. ball — a great time
  6. saw — the tool
  7. root — of a word
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. mug — a cup
  11. degree — from a university
  12. root — the cause
  13. root — of a plant
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. mug — a face
  17. bass — low music
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. saw — the tool
  20. foot — a measure
  21. ball — a dance
  22. date — the fruit
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. bass — the instrument

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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