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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. degree — an amount
  4. firm — a company
  5. content — the amount
  6. root — of a plant
  7. root — of a word
  8. degree — temperature
  9. swing — to play on
  10. race — the arms race
  11. root — the cause
  12. bass — the fish
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. bass — low music
  15. degree — from a university
  16. firm — decided
  17. race — humankind
  18. firm — steady
  19. content — happy
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. swing — music
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. swing — in golf
  24. content — videos and posts

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