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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. march — the month
  5. degree — an amount
  6. degree — from a university
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. root — of a plant
  9. root — of a word
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. degree — temperature
  12. march — music
  13. cell — in biology
  14. fine — high quality
  15. foot — a measure
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. root — the cause
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. fine — all right
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. cell — a phone

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