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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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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: degree · court · mine · root · game · toast · firm · bear

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. court — of a king
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. root — of a word
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — the animal
  8. toast — bread
  9. firm — decided
  10. degree — temperature
  11. court — for sport
  12. game — a match
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. mine — for digging
  16. degree — an amount
  17. court — of law
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. degree — from a university
  20. firm — a company
  21. firm — steady
  22. game — wild animals
  23. root — the cause
  24. bear — to put up with

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