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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. staff — employees
  4. degree — temperature
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. root — of a word
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. tube — the underground
  12. root — of a plant
  13. tube — a container
  14. kick — in football
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. wake — a trail
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. root — the cause
  21. degree — from a university
  22. staff — a stick
  23. staff — employees
  24. tube — in a tire

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