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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. ground — the earth
  3. foot — a measure
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. degree — from a university
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. toast — bread
  9. degree — temperature
  10. root — of a word
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. ground — crushed
  13. key — in music
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. key — for a lock
  16. root — of a plant
  17. ground — a position
  18. degree — an amount
  19. chip — to eat
  20. chip — for betting
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. root — the cause
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. key — the most important part

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