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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. current — electric
  3. toast — bread
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. fork — in a road
  8. cap — a hat
  9. mine — for digging
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. capital — a city
  14. current — happening now
  15. capital — money
  16. current — of water
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. root — the cause
  19. cap — a lid
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. root — of a plant
  22. cap — of ice
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. toast — the most admired

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