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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. capital — money
  3. rest — what's left
  4. root — of a plant
  5. net — in sport
  6. bore — to tire
  7. root — of a word
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. net — after costs
  10. club — a group
  11. root — the cause
  12. club — for golf
  13. bore — to drill
  14. rest — a break
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. hand — in cards
  18. club — for dancing
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. rock — a stone
  21. net — for catching
  22. capital — a city
  23. rest — what's left
  24. hand — help

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