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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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468
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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. stem — to come from
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. root — of a word
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. root — the cause
  10. degree — from a university
  11. season — of the year
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. pit — in a race
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. rest — what's left
  17. root — of a plant
  18. pit — a hole
  19. degree — temperature
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. rest — a break
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. rest — what's left
  24. season — in sport

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