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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. roll — a cake
  10. pitch — completely
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. capital — money
  14. dip — to sink
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. root — of a word
  17. capital — a city
  18. vault — a safe
  19. root — of a plant
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. root — the cause
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. roll — on a roll

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