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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. capital — a city
  4. root — of a word
  5. capital — money
  6. craft — a skill
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — a tin
  9. mine — for digging
  10. race — the arms race
  11. race — a contest
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. craft — boats
  14. can — to be able to
  15. kick — in football
  16. race — humankind
  17. key — for a lock
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. key — in music
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. root — of a plant
  23. key — the most important part
  24. root — the cause

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