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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: bay · root · pitch · degree · game · mouse · ground · chest

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. degree — from a university
  4. root — of a plant
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. chest — of your body
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. root — of a word
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. degree — an amount
  12. chest — of your body
  13. ground — the earth
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. pitch — completely
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. ground — a position
  18. chest — a box
  19. game — wild animals
  20. root — the cause
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. ground — crushed
  24. game — a match

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