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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. chair — a leader
  3. shower — rain
  4. capital — money
  5. shower — to wash
  6. dip — to sink
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. object — an aim
  10. root — of a word
  11. root — the cause
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. object — to protest
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. root — of a plant
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. object — a thing

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