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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. pit — a hole
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. root — of a word
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. capital — a city
  8. chair — a leader
  9. dip — to sink
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. cell — in biology
  12. pound — a weight
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. root — of a plant
  15. cell — a phone
  16. pit — in a race
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. rule — government
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. root — the cause
  23. rule — a law
  24. rule — to rule out

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