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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. face — part of the head
  4. court — for sport
  5. root — the cause
  6. content — happy
  7. current — happening now
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. court — of a king
  11. capital — money
  12. vault — a safe
  13. face — to confront
  14. court — of law
  15. content — the amount
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. capital — a city
  18. current — of water
  19. root — of a word
  20. face — to point toward
  21. bore — to drill
  22. current — electric
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. root — of a plant

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