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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. ball — a dance
  3. capital — a city
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. saw — the tool
  6. pit — in a race
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. root — of a plant
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. spell — magic
  13. pitch — completely
  14. root — the cause
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. ball — a great time
  17. vault — a safe
  18. spell — a short time
  19. capital — money
  20. root — of a word
  21. spell — letters
  22. pit — a hole
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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