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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. scale — in music
  3. root — of a word
  4. present — there
  5. fall — to drop
  6. press — to push
  7. root — the cause
  8. capital — a city
  9. press — newspapers
  10. fall — to drop
  11. scale — size or range
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. prune — to trim
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. fall — the season
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. press — a publisher
  18. root — of a plant
  19. present — a gift
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. prune — to trim
  22. mark — a trace
  23. present — the time now
  24. capital — money

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