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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. capital — a city
  3. root — the cause
  4. root — of a word
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. can — a tin
  9. season — of the year
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. can — to be able to
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. mate — a partner
  15. season — in sport
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. root — of a plant
  18. can — a tin
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mate — a friend
  21. capital — money
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. pass — a permit
  24. arm — part of the body

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