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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: court · degree · pop · rest · spell · hide · root · kick

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. pop — music
  3. rest — a break
  4. kick — in football
  5. root — of a word
  6. root — the cause
  7. degree — an amount
  8. pop — to visit
  9. spell — letters
  10. spell — a short time
  11. root — of a plant
  12. degree — temperature
  13. pop — soda
  14. rest — what's left
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. court — of a king
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. spell — magic
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. court — for sport
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. court — of law
  24. rest — what's left

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