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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. degree — from a university
  3. root — of a word
  4. degree — temperature
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. degree — an amount
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. cold — an illness
  9. root — of a plant
  10. root — the cause
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. saw — the tool
  13. toast — bread
  14. wake — a trail
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. bear — the animal
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. cold — not warm
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. wake — before a funeral

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