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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 116 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: squash · degree · bat · mate · bear · key · row · root

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. row — a line
  3. degree — temperature
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. degree — an amount
  6. row — to paddle
  7. key — for a lock
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. mate — a friend
  10. root — of a plant
  11. mate — a partner
  12. bear — the animal
  13. squash — to crush
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bear — the animal
  17. key — in music
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. root — the cause
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. mate — to breed
  22. key — the most important part
  23. degree — from a university
  24. root — of a word

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