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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  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. pop — soda
  2. degree — an amount
  3. net — after costs
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. pop — to visit
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. root — the cause
  9. pop — music
  10. dip — to sink
  11. root — of a word
  12. fine — all right
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. degree — temperature
  16. degree — from a university
  17. rush — hurry
  18. rule — government
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. net — for catching
  21. rule — a law
  22. net — in sport
  23. fine — high quality
  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