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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. root — of a word
  4. cold — an illness
  5. cap — a hat
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. capital — a city
  8. charge — in control
  9. cap — a lid
  10. charge — electricity
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. charge — a price
  13. root — of a plant
  14. capital — money
  15. field — a subject
  16. field — farmland
  17. cold — not warm
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. field — for sport
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cap — of ice
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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