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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. cap — a lid
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. row — a line
  6. cap — a hat
  7. capital — a city
  8. race — humankind
  9. root — of a word
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. capital — money
  13. row — to paddle
  14. race — a contest
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. kid — child
  17. cap — of ice
  18. race — the arms race
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. kid — to tease
  21. root — the cause
  22. root — of a plant
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. mouse — for a computer

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