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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. fine — high quality
  3. cue — a signal
  4. degree — from a university
  5. cue — a hint
  6. root — the cause
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. cue — for pool
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. fine — all right
  11. degree — an amount
  12. degree — temperature
  13. row — to paddle
  14. roll — a list
  15. rule — government
  16. mug — a cup
  17. root — of a plant
  18. mug — to rob
  19. row — a line
  20. mug — a face
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. roll — a cake
  23. rule — a law
  24. row — a quarrel

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