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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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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: safe · bat · perch · content · degree · chip · key · root

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. key — for a lock
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. root — of a plant
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. degree — an amount
  9. chip — for betting
  10. content — happy
  11. chip — to eat
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. root — the cause
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. degree — temperature
  17. key — the most important part
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. perch — the fish
  21. root — of a word
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. key — in music
  24. content — the amount

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