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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. last — finally
  3. prune — to trim
  4. root — of a word
  5. last — final
  6. degree — from a university
  7. prune — to trim
  8. pop — soda
  9. degree — temperature
  10. degree — an amount
  11. pop — to visit
  12. scale — in music
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. mark — a trace
  16. last — to go on
  17. mark — a grade
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. root — of a plant
  21. chip — for betting
  22. chip — to eat
  23. pop — music
  24. scale — size or range

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