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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. root — the cause
  4. capital — money
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. pound — a weight
  7. file — a tool
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. root — of a word
  10. bore — to tire
  11. shower — rain
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. shower — to wash
  15. bore — to drill
  16. capital — a city
  17. file — a document
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. foot — a measure
  21. file — a line of people
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. root — of a plant

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