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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. foot — a measure
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. branch — a division
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. game — a match
  7. degree — an amount
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. game — wild animals
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. ground — a position
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. root — of a plant
  18. degree — temperature
  19. ground — crushed
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. root — of a word
  22. root — the cause
  23. ground — the earth
  24. degree — from a university

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