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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. tube — a container
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. capital — a city
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. root — of a plant
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. tube — the underground
  12. root — of a word
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. chip — to eat
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. kick — in football
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. capital — money
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. root — the cause
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. chip — for betting

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