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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. rush — hurry
  3. root — of a plant
  4. drill — army training
  5. root — the cause
  6. degree — from a university
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. degree — an amount
  9. squash — the sport
  10. bulb — for light
  11. degree — temperature
  12. race — the arms race
  13. sharp — clever
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. race — a contest
  16. drill — a practice
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. bulb — for light
  19. race — humankind
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. squash — to crush
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. root — of a word

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