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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. root — the cause
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. wound — an injury
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. cell — in biology
  9. march — music
  10. degree — an amount
  11. root — of a word
  12. march — the month
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. degree — from a university
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. root — of a plant
  17. ground — crushed
  18. cell — a phone
  19. wound — an injury
  20. degree — temperature
  21. march — the month
  22. ground — a position
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. perch — the fish

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