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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. spring — the season
  4. degree — from a university
  5. chair — a leader
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. pass — a permit
  8. degree — temperature
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. content — happy
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. band — a music group
  14. spring — a coil
  15. root — of a word
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. degree — an amount
  18. spring — of water
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. band — a ring
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. content — the amount
  24. root — of a plant

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