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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 116 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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. root — of a plant
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. game — a match
  5. ball — a great time
  6. can — a tin
  7. root — of a word
  8. can — a tin
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. game — wild animals
  11. can — to be able to
  12. mark — a trace
  13. degree — from a university
  14. mark — a grade
  15. ball — a dance
  16. root — the cause
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. degree — temperature
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. degree — an amount
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. game — a kind of play

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