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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 124 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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. rock — a stone
  4. root — of a plant
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. capital — a city
  11. capital — money
  12. root — the cause
  13. rash — a series
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. ground — a position
  16. ground — the earth
  17. rock — music
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. present — there
  20. root — of a word
  21. plane — a tool
  22. rash — hasty
  23. present — the time now
  24. ground — crushed

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