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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: degree · coach · arm · root · face · cell · squash · mate

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. mate — a friend
  5. degree — temperature
  6. degree — from a university
  7. root — of a word
  8. cell — a phone
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. face — to confront
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. squash — to crush
  14. root — of a plant
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. root — the cause
  18. degree — an amount
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. mate — a partner
  21. squash — the sport
  22. face — to point toward
  23. cell — in biology
  24. face — part of the head

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