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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. rush — hurry
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. root — of a plant
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. content — happy
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. content — the amount
  16. degree — temperature
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. root — the cause
  21. degree — an amount
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. degree — from a university
  24. safe — out of danger

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