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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 · root · ruler · cue · mark · chair · kick · file

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. cue — for pool
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. mark — a grade
  6. file — a document
  7. file — a tool
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. degree — temperature
  13. kick — in football
  14. degree — from a university
  15. cue — a hint
  16. cue — a signal
  17. root — of a plant
  18. root — of a word
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. chair — a leader
  21. degree — an amount
  22. file — a line of people
  23. mark — a trace
  24. root — the cause

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