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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wound — an injury
  4. lean — thin
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. root — the cause
  7. root — of a plant
  8. fine — high quality
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. fine — all right
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. degree — temperature
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. degree — from a university
  18. degree — an amount
  19. chip — to eat
  20. lean — to bend
  21. root — of a word
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. chip — for betting
  24. wound — an injury

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