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

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. root — of a word
  3. bass — low music
  4. cap — of ice
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. march — the month
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. march — music
  10. snap — to click
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. march — the month
  14. cap — a lid
  15. deal — to handle
  16. cap — a hat
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. root — of a plant
  19. capital — a city
  20. capital — money
  21. hand — help
  22. root — the cause
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. hand — in cards

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