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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. press — a publisher
  3. field — farmland
  4. field — for sport
  5. drill — the tool
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. root — the cause
  8. press — to push
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. staff — employees
  11. capital — money
  12. dip — to sink
  13. root — of a plant
  14. field — a subject
  15. ball — a great time
  16. ball — a dance
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. drill — a practice
  19. staff — a stick
  20. capital — a city
  21. drill — army training
  22. staff — employees
  23. press — newspapers
  24. root — of a word

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