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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. key — for a lock
  4. root — the cause
  5. last — to go on
  6. root — of a plant
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. mark — a trace
  10. chair — a leader
  11. key — in music
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. last — finally
  14. mark — a grade
  15. mate — a partner
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. mate — to breed
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. mate — a friend
  20. wax — to grow
  21. key — the most important part
  22. last — final
  23. capital — money
  24. root — of a word

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