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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. drill — a practice
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. degree — temperature
  6. chip — to eat
  7. degree — an amount
  8. degree — from a university
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. mate — to breed
  11. scale — size or range
  12. chip — for betting
  13. drill — army training
  14. root — the cause
  15. squash — the sport
  16. squash — to crush
  17. root — of a plant
  18. stand — to bear
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. scale — in music
  21. root — of a word
  22. drill — the tool
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. mate — a friend

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