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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. toast — bread
  3. suit — clothes
  4. rush — hurry
  5. suit — to fit
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. suit — in cards
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — after costs
  12. degree — an amount
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. root — of a plant
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. net — for catching
  19. root — of a word
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. degree — temperature
  22. root — the cause
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. rush — a thrill

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