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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 120 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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. degree — temperature
  3. root — of a word
  4. degree — an amount
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. rule — a law
  8. court — for sport
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. root — of a plant
  11. perch — the fish
  12. rule — government
  13. cue — a hint
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. court — of a king
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. foot — a measure
  20. cue — a signal
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. root — the cause
  23. court — of law
  24. degree — from a university

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