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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 ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. rash — hasty
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. file — a line of people
  5. file — a tool
  6. rash — a series
  7. root — the cause
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. capital — a city
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. bear — the animal
  19. pitch — completely
  20. root — of a word
  21. file — a document
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. capital — money
  24. bear — the animal

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