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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. root — of a word
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. capital — a city
  6. root — the cause
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. cell — in biology
  9. root — of a plant
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. object — an aim
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. land — to come down
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stock — goods
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. capital — money
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. plane — a tool
  20. land — a country
  21. object — to protest
  22. object — a thing
  23. stock — shares
  24. cell — a phone

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