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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. kick — in football
  3. pit — a hole
  4. degree — temperature
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. ball — a dance
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. pit — in a race
  10. root — the cause
  11. ball — a great time
  12. rash — hasty
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. root — of a plant
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. rash — a series
  18. degree — an amount
  19. row — a line
  20. wind — moving air
  21. row — to paddle
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. root — of a word

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