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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. root — of a plant
  5. root — of a word
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. root — the cause
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. shower — to wash
  14. capital — money
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. chair — a leader
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. shower — rain
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — to recline

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