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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. tear — from crying
  4. object — to protest
  5. object — an aim
  6. plane — a tool
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. capital — money
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. tear — from crying
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. tear — to rip
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. key — in music
  15. capital — a city
  16. root — the cause
  17. pass — a permit
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. root — of a plant
  20. key — for a lock
  21. root — of a word
  22. key — the most important part
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. object — a thing

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