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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. degree — from a university
  4. mug — to rob
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. saw — the tool
  7. degree — an amount
  8. bound — certain
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. root — of a plant
  11. capital — money
  12. capital — a city
  13. mug — a cup
  14. bound — obliged
  15. mug — a face
  16. mark — a grade
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. degree — temperature
  19. root — of a word
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. mark — a trace
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bound — tied together
  24. root — the cause

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