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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. root — the cause
  3. degree — from a university
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. rule — a law
  11. pitch — completely
  12. degree — an amount
  13. pound — a weight
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. root — of a word
  17. root — of a plant
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. rule — government
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. degree — temperature

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