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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. capital — money
  3. capital — a city
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. root — of a word
  6. bulb — for light
  7. squash — to crush
  8. rash — hasty
  9. row — a line
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. row — to paddle
  12. hand — help
  13. root — of a plant
  14. rash — a series
  15. bulb — for light
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. hand — in cards
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. squash — the sport
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. root — the cause

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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