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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 124 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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. root — of a word
  3. chest — of your body
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. degree — temperature
  6. root — of a plant
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. rock — music
  9. rush — hurry
  10. suit — clothes
  11. chest — a box
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. suit — in cards
  14. chest — of your body
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. suit — to fit
  17. degree — from a university
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. mine — for digging
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. root — the cause
  22. degree — an amount
  23. rock — a stone
  24. rush — to hurry

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