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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  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. rush — hurry
  2. degree — from a university
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. degree — temperature
  7. root — of a word
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. kick — in football
  12. root — the cause
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. degree — an amount
  17. bear — the animal
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. bear — the animal
  23. rush — to hurry
  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