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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 116 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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — the tool
  4. root — of a plant
  5. root — the cause
  6. capital — a city
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. drill — the tool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. wind — moving air
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. drill — a practice
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. wind — moving air
  18. capital — money
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. drill — army training
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. root — of a word
  24. sharp — clever

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