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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 120 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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. degree — an amount
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. spring — a coil
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. game — wild animals
  10. scale — in music
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. spring — of water
  13. root — of a plant
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. scale — size or range
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. game — a match
  18. degree — from a university
  19. degree — temperature
  20. spring — the season
  21. rush — hurry
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. rush — to hurry
  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