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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. degree — from a university
  3. root — the cause
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. shower — rain
  6. deal — to handle
  7. track — a path
  8. root — of a word
  9. content — happy
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. shower — to wash
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. track — to keep track
  17. track — a song
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. degree — temperature
  21. degree — an amount
  22. content — the amount
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. root — of a plant

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