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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. mug — to rob
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. capital — money
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. root — of a plant
  10. mug — a face
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. capital — a city
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. land — ground
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. game — wild animals
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. land — a country
  20. root — the cause
  21. mug — a cup
  22. game — a match
  23. land — to come down
  24. root — of a word

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