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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 120 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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. deal — to handle
  3. capital — a city
  4. can — a tin
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. can — a tin
  7. spell — a short time
  8. cue — a hint
  9. can — to be able to
  10. cue — for pool
  11. root — of a word
  12. spell — magic
  13. root — the cause
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. root — of a plant
  17. spell — letters
  18. cue — a signal
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. capital — money
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. temple — a place of worship

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