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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. hand — in cards
  4. degree — temperature
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. root — of a plant
  10. foot — a measure
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. band — a music group
  14. degree — an amount
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. root — the cause
  18. degree — from a university
  19. hand — help
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. scale — in music
  22. band — a ring
  23. scale — size or range
  24. root — of a word

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