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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  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. game — a kind of play
  2. degree — temperature
  3. rest — what's left
  4. craft — boats
  5. root — of a word
  6. degree — an amount
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. branch — a division
  9. pound — a weight
  10. rest — what's left
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. rest — a break
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. degree — from a university
  17. craft — a skill
  18. root — the cause
  19. game — a match
  20. can — to be able to
  21. can — a tin
  22. game — wild animals
  23. can — a tin
  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