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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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Word bank
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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. row — to paddle
  4. root — of a word
  5. cell — in biology
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. last — finally
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. degree — temperature
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. last — final
  12. cell — a phone
  13. root — the cause
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. root — of a plant
  18. last — to go on
  19. pass — a permit
  20. bear — the animal
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. degree — from a university
  23. degree — an amount
  24. bear — the animal

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