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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. degree — an amount
  5. root — the cause
  6. race — a contest
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. object — an aim
  9. object — a thing
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. degree — from a university
  13. root — of a plant
  14. race — the arms race
  15. object — to protest
  16. degree — temperature
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. fine — high quality
  19. fine — all right
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. race — humankind
  23. fine — a penalty
  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