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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. ball — a great time
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. degree — an amount
  5. root — of a word
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. ball — a dance
  9. foot — a measure
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. degree — temperature
  12. bear — the animal
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. root — the cause
  17. bear — the animal
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. pitch — completely
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. degree — from a university
  24. root — of a plant

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