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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. can — a tin
  3. key — in music
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. can — a tin
  6. last — final
  7. degree — from a university
  8. can — to be able to
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. root — of a plant
  11. degree — an amount
  12. bat — the animal
  13. wax — to grow
  14. chair — a leader
  15. key — the most important part
  16. last — finally
  17. root — the cause
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. last — to go on
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. root — of a word
  24. key — for a lock

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