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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 116 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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. bound — tied together
  3. root — of a word
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. club — a group
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. hand — in cards
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. capital — money
  11. march — the month
  12. march — music
  13. root — the cause
  14. root — of a plant
  15. club — for golf
  16. bound — certain
  17. hand — help
  18. bound — obliged
  19. club — for dancing
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. march — the month
  22. capital — a city
  23. ball — a dance
  24. ball — a great time

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