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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. root — the cause
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. root — of a plant
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. degree — an amount
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. degree — temperature
  11. court — of a king
  12. game — wild animals
  13. root — of a word
  14. degree — from a university
  15. court — of law
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. court — for sport
  18. game — a match
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. pound — a weight
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. pound — to hit hard

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