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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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. root — the cause
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mate — a friend
  6. key — for a lock
  7. wind — moving air
  8. mate — a partner
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. key — in music
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. band — a music group
  13. key — the most important part
  14. date — the fruit
  15. root — of a word
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. wind — moving air
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. capital — money
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. bulb — for light
  22. capital — a city
  23. root — of a plant
  24. band — a ring

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