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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: degree · chair · dip · hide · mug · root · file · cell

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. file — a tool
  3. mug — to rob
  4. degree — temperature
  5. mug — a cup
  6. chair — a leader
  7. file — a document
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. root — the cause
  10. degree — an amount
  11. root — of a plant
  12. cell — a phone
  13. dip — to sink
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. mug — a face
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. root — of a word
  22. cell — in biology
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. degree — from a university

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