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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: bay · root · degree · ruler · net · chair · ball · race

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. ball — a great time
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. root — the cause
  7. root — of a plant
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. chair — a leader
  12. net — after costs
  13. ball — a dance
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. degree — temperature
  16. net — in sport
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. degree — from a university
  19. race — humankind
  20. race — a contest
  21. race — the arms race
  22. net — for catching
  23. degree — an amount
  24. ball — a round shape

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