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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: foot · court · row · arm · dip · fan · degree · root

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. root — of a word
  3. row — a line
  4. foot — a measure
  5. root — of a plant
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. court — of a king
  10. court — for sport
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. degree — temperature
  14. court — of law
  15. row — to paddle
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. root — the cause
  18. degree — an amount
  19. degree — from a university
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. dip — to sink
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. foot — part of the body

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