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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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468
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: degree · nail · chest · cue · ground · last · root · lie

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. last — to go on
  4. degree — an amount
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. chest — of your body
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. degree — temperature
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. root — of a word
  11. ground — crushed
  12. chest — a box
  13. last — finally
  14. degree — from a university
  15. lie — to recline
  16. ground — a position
  17. cue — for pool
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. cue — a signal
  20. last — final
  21. cue — a hint
  22. chest — of your body
  23. root — the cause
  24. root — of a plant

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