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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: board · root · bowl · object · bat · clip · toast · degree

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  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. object — an aim
  2. degree — temperature
  3. root — of a word
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. root — of a plant
  6. bat — the animal
  7. clip — to cut
  8. board — a committee
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. object — to protest
  11. board — to get on
  12. clip — a video
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. root — the cause
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. object — a thing
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. degree — an amount
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. degree — from a university
  23. clip — for paper
  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