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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. fine — high quality
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — in sport
  6. drill — army training
  7. capital — a city
  8. root — of a plant
  9. tube — the underground
  10. rock — music
  11. capital — money
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. root — the cause
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. root — of a word
  18. fine — all right
  19. rock — a stone
  20. drill — the tool
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. net — for catching
  23. drill — a practice
  24. tube — a container

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