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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. degree — temperature
  4. spell — letters
  5. game — wild animals
  6. spell — a short time
  7. suit — clothes
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. spell — magic
  10. mate — to breed
  11. suit — to fit
  12. mate — a friend
  13. suit — in cards
  14. game — a match
  15. degree — an amount
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. mate — a partner
  18. degree — from a university
  19. root — the cause
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. perch — the fish
  23. snap — to click
  24. root — of a plant

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