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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 116 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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. degree — an amount
  3. can — a tin
  4. bass — low music
  5. root — of a word
  6. degree — temperature
  7. root — of a plant
  8. root — the cause
  9. can — a tin
  10. last — finally
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. stem — to come from
  13. last — final
  14. fine — all right
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. last — to go on
  17. fine — high quality
  18. degree — from a university
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. mark — a trace
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. bass — the fish
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. mark — a grade

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