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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. hand — in cards
  3. scale — size or range
  4. degree — an amount
  5. squash — to crush
  6. root — of a word
  7. root — of a plant
  8. hand — help
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. scale — in music
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. degree — temperature
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. degree — from a university
  19. pit — a hole
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. squash — the sport
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. pit — in a race

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