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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. root — the cause
  5. squash — to crush
  6. degree — temperature
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. branch — a division
  11. kick — in football
  12. squash — the sport
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. root — of a word
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. mine — for digging
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. degree — an amount
  19. root — of a plant
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. foot — a measure
  22. sharp — clever
  23. degree — from a university
  24. foot — the bottom

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