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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. root — of a word
  3. degree — an amount
  4. wind — moving air
  5. track — a path
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. tube — a container
  8. swing — in golf
  9. tube — the underground
  10. firm — a company
  11. swing — to play on
  12. track — a song
  13. firm — decided
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. chair — a leader
  17. root — of a plant
  18. swing — music
  19. degree — from a university
  20. firm — steady
  21. root — the cause
  22. track — to keep track
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. degree — temperature

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