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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. pass — a permit
  4. drill — the tool
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. rock — a stone
  11. root — of a plant
  12. rock — music
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. degree — temperature
  15. drill — a practice
  16. sharp — clever
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. root — the cause
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. degree — an amount
  22. degree — from a university
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. drill — army training

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