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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. capital — a city
  3. bat — the animal
  4. hand — help
  5. hand — in cards
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. root — of a word
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. tube — a container
  12. bore — to tire
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. tube — the underground
  15. capital — money
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. court — for sport
  18. bore — to drill
  19. root — of a plant
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. court — of law
  22. wake — a trail
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. court — of a king

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