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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 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. degree — from a university
  3. rock — music
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. rest — what's left
  6. chip — for betting
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. game — wild animals
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. perch — the fish
  12. degree — temperature
  13. rest — a break
  14. game — a match
  15. rest — what's left
  16. degree — an amount
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. rock — a stone
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. root — of a plant
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. chip — to eat
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. root — the cause

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