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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: root · leaves · bore · racket · chair · wind · degree · pit

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. degree — an amount
  3. bore — to drill
  4. root — of a word
  5. pit — a hole
  6. root — of a plant
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bore — to tire
  13. wind — moving air
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. pit — in a race
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. root — the cause
  20. chair — a leader
  21. degree — temperature
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. degree — from a university
  24. chair — a professorship

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