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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. root — the cause
  3. degree — temperature
  4. rest — a break
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. tear — to rip
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rash — hasty
  9. rash — a series
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — for digging
  12. tear — from crying
  13. rest — what's left
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. root — of a plant
  19. kick — in football
  20. root — of a word
  21. rest — what's left
  22. tear — from crying
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. degree — an amount

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