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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  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. racket — a loud noise
  2. root — of a plant
  3. firm — decided
  4. capital — a city
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. mug — a face
  7. rash — hasty
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. firm — steady
  10. rash — a series
  11. mug — a cup
  12. capital — money
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. mug — to rob
  15. kick — in football
  16. track — a path
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. firm — a company
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. root — of a word
  22. track — to keep track
  23. track — a song
  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