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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. roll — a list
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. pop — soda
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. root — of a word
  7. capital — money
  8. root — of a plant
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. capital — a city
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. deal — to handle
  16. wind — moving air
  17. chip — for betting
  18. roll — a cake
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. pop — to visit
  21. pop — music
  22. root — the cause
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. chip — to eat

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