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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 120 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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. root — of a word
  5. key — for a lock
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. band — a music group
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. bass — low music
  12. pitch — completely
  13. root — of a plant
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. root — the cause
  16. face — to point toward
  17. face — to confront
  18. capital — a city
  19. key — the most important part
  20. key — in music
  21. band — a ring
  22. foot — a measure
  23. face — part of the head
  24. capital — money

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