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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. degree — an amount
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. chest — of your body
  5. key — the most important part
  6. dip — to sink
  7. degree — from a university
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — a box
  12. ball — a dance
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. key — in music
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. deal — to handle
  19. ball — a great time
  20. key — for a lock
  21. degree — temperature
  22. root — of a plant
  23. root — of a word
  24. root — the cause

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