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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  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. degree — temperature
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. court — of law
  4. track — a song
  5. ball — a great time
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. root — of a word
  11. track — a path
  12. track — to keep track
  13. degree — from a university
  14. ball — a dance
  15. wound — an injury
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. root — the cause
  18. court — of a king
  19. degree — an amount
  20. wound — an injury
  21. court — for sport
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. pitch — completely
  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