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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. degree — an amount
  3. degree — from a university
  4. fall — to drop
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. ground — a position
  8. bear — the animal
  9. degree — temperature
  10. fall — the season
  11. root — of a word
  12. court — of a king
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. bear — the animal
  15. ground — crushed
  16. ground — the earth
  17. fall — to drop
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. root — the cause
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. court — of law
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. court — for sport

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