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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 works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. mug — a face
  3. lean — thin
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. bound — obliged
  7. root — of a plant
  8. root — the cause
  9. lean — to bend
  10. bound — tied together
  11. capital — money
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. capital — a city
  17. mug — a cup
  18. root — of a word
  19. bound — certain
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. mug — to rob
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. saw — the tool
  24. deal — to handle

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