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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. root — the cause
  3. capital — a city
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. root — of a plant
  7. degree — an amount
  8. capital — money
  9. file — a line of people
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. degree — temperature
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. fork — in a road
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. file — a tool
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. root — of a word
  24. file — a document

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