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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 120 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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. track — a path
  3. net — for catching
  4. degree — temperature
  5. root — of a word
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — to recline
  8. track — to keep track
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. root — the cause
  11. root — of a plant
  12. row — to paddle
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. face — part of the head
  15. track — a song
  16. row — a line
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. face — to confront
  20. face — to point toward
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. net — in sport
  23. net — after costs
  24. degree — from a university

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