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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. fine — all right
  3. march — the month
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. wind — moving air
  7. root — the cause
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. capital — a city
  12. wind — moving air
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. fine — high quality
  16. march — the month
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. march — music
  19. capital — money
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. root — of a plant
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. root — of a word
  24. fork — in a road

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