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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 116 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: cell · mark · kick · wound · race · root · key · degree

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. root — the cause
  3. key — the most important part
  4. cell — in biology
  5. degree — an amount
  6. race — the arms race
  7. race — a contest
  8. root — of a plant
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. mark — a grade
  11. mark — a trace
  12. kick — in football
  13. race — humankind
  14. root — of a word
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. key — in music
  17. degree — from a university
  18. wound — an injury
  19. key — for a lock
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. degree — temperature
  22. wound — an injury
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cell — in a prison

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