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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. scale — size or range
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. game — wild animals
  5. root — the cause
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bound — tied together
  8. capital — a city
  9. bound — certain
  10. root — of a word
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. net — in sport
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. capital — money
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. scale — in music
  18. pitch — completely
  19. net — for catching
  20. net — after costs
  21. root — of a plant
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. game — a match
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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