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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: fine · root · row · tear · game · rest · degree · chip

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. rest — what's left
  3. degree — temperature
  4. root — the cause
  5. chip — for betting
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. tear — from crying
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. tear — from crying
  10. root — of a word
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. row — a line
  13. game — wild animals
  14. root — of a plant
  15. rest — a break
  16. fine — high quality
  17. rest — what's left
  18. game — a match
  19. degree — from a university
  20. tear — to rip
  21. row — to paddle
  22. chip — to eat
  23. fine — all right
  24. fine — a penalty

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