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

Word bank: degree · court · wake · root · coach · stand · race · swing

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. swing — to play on
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. root — of a plant
  6. root — of a word
  7. degree — from a university
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. race — a contest
  10. swing — in golf
  11. race — humankind
  12. degree — temperature
  13. stand — to bear
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. court — for sport
  16. court — of law
  17. degree — an amount
  18. court — of a king
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. wake — a trail
  22. race — the arms race
  23. swing — music
  24. coach — a trainer

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