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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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Word bank
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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: ball · current · degree · mark · straw · lie · rest · root

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. degree — an amount
  3. degree — temperature
  4. lie — to recline
  5. mark — a trace
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. ball — a great time
  8. root — of a word
  9. degree — from a university
  10. root — of a plant
  11. ball — a dance
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. mark — a grade
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. current — electric
  17. current — of water
  18. rest — what's left
  19. root — the cause
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. rest — a break
  22. rest — what's left
  23. current — happening now
  24. straw — dry grass

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