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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. root — of a plant
  3. last — to go on
  4. date — the fruit
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. degree — temperature
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. degree — from a university
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. root — the cause
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. mark — a trace
  16. mark — a grade
  17. last — final
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. degree — an amount
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. last — finally
  23. root — of a word
  24. ruler — for measuring

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