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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. mug — to rob
  3. row — a line
  4. root — the cause
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. sharp — clever
  7. capital — money
  8. root — of a plant
  9. mug — a cup
  10. capital — a city
  11. rule — a law
  12. row — to paddle
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — a box
  15. root — of a word
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. present — a gift
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. present — the time now
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. chest — of your body
  22. present — there
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. mug — a face

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