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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. root — of a word
  3. cap — a hat
  4. root — the cause
  5. cap — a lid
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. root — of a plant
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. lean — thin
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. suit — clothes
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. degree — from a university
  14. cold — not warm
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. cap — of ice
  17. degree — an amount
  18. lean — to bend
  19. court — of law
  20. cold — an illness
  21. suit — in cards
  22. suit — to fit
  23. degree — temperature
  24. court — of a king

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