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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. root — of a word
  3. season — in sport
  4. capital — money
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. root — of a plant
  7. degree — temperature
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. tube — the underground
  11. degree — an amount
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. season — of the year
  14. degree — from a university
  15. tube — a container
  16. capital — a city
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. bulb — for light
  19. vault — a safe
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. root — the cause
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. tube — in a tire

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