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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. degree — from a university
  3. root — the cause
  4. wake — a trail
  5. root — of a word
  6. mark — a trace
  7. game — wild animals
  8. staff — employees
  9. degree — an amount
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. mark — a grade
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. staff — a stick
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. degree — temperature
  21. root — of a plant
  22. staff — employees
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. game — a match

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