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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: deal · degree · ground · mouse · snap · root · mine · ball

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. degree — from a university
  3. ground — crushed
  4. degree — an amount
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. root — the cause
  7. ground — a position
  8. snap — to click
  9. root — of a plant
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. mine — for digging
  13. degree — temperature
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. ball — a great time
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. ground — the earth
  20. deal — to handle
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. root — of a word
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. ball — a dance

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