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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. root — of a plant
  3. present — there
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. last — finally
  6. pop — soda
  7. root — of a word
  8. last — final
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. present — the time now
  13. last — to go on
  14. present — a gift
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. pop — music
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. capital — a city
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. root — the cause
  24. pop — to visit

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