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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: key · kick · mug · pop · cold · pit · root · degree

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. pit — a hole
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. degree — temperature
  6. degree — an amount
  7. key — for a lock
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. root — of a plant
  10. pop — to visit
  11. root — of a word
  12. root — the cause
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. cold — an illness
  15. key — in music
  16. pit — in a race
  17. pop — music
  18. pop — soda
  19. cold — not warm
  20. degree — from a university
  21. kick — in football
  22. key — the most important part
  23. mug — a cup
  24. mug — to rob

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