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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: kid · deal · mark · fine · root · straw · degree · rock

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. degree — an amount
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. root — of a word
  5. mark — a grade
  6. mark — a trace
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. degree — temperature
  9. fine — high quality
  10. kid — child
  11. kid — to tease
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. fine — all right
  14. degree — from a university
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. rock — a stone
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. root — of a plant
  22. root — the cause
  23. deal — to handle
  24. rock — music

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