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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. root — the cause
  8. capital — money
  9. rush — hurry
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. key — for a lock
  12. root — of a word
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. band — a music group
  15. file — a document
  16. capital — a city
  17. key — the most important part
  18. key — in music
  19. band — a ring
  20. root — of a plant
  21. file — a line of people
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. rush — to hurry

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