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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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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: craft · drill · chair · rash · root · game · degree · pop

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. craft — boats
  3. rash — a series
  4. pop — to visit
  5. root — of a plant
  6. rash — hasty
  7. drill — a practice
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. degree — temperature
  11. drill — army training
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. degree — an amount
  14. pop — soda
  15. root — of a word
  16. root — the cause
  17. craft — a skill
  18. degree — from a university
  19. game — wild animals
  20. chair — a leader
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. pop — music
  23. game — a match
  24. drill — the tool

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