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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. roll — a list
  4. key — the most important part
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. root — the cause
  7. root — of a plant
  8. capital — a city
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. roll — a cake
  11. key — in music
  12. band — a ring
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. prune — to trim
  15. game — a match
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. root — of a word
  18. kick — in football
  19. prune — to trim
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. band — a music group
  23. game — wild animals
  24. key — for a lock

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