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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: root · capital · mate · degree · rule · mug

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. degree — from a university
  3. mug — a cup
  4. degree — temperature
  5. capital — a city
  6. mate — to breed
  7. mate — a friend
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. root — of a plant
  10. degree — an amount
  11. rule — a law
  12. root — the cause
  13. capital — money
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. mug — a face
  16. root — of a word
  17. rule — government
  18. mate — a partner

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