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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: foot · racket · tear · degree · staff · track · toast · root

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. track — to keep track
  3. degree — temperature
  4. degree — an amount
  5. root — of a word
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. track — a song
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. tear — to rip
  11. track — a path
  12. foot — a measure
  13. degree — from a university
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. tear — from crying
  16. staff — employees
  17. tear — from crying
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. staff — a stick
  22. root — of a plant
  23. root — the cause
  24. toast — bread

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