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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. capital — money
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. hand — help
  5. hand — in cards
  6. capital — a city
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. object — a thing
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. root — of a plant
  14. root — of a word
  15. object — an aim
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. foot — a measure
  19. chair — a leader
  20. root — the cause
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. object — to protest
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. pitch — completely

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