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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  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. pitcher — in baseball
  2. tear — from crying
  3. cold — not warm
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. plane — a tool
  7. capital — a city
  8. pit — in a race
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. root — of a word
  12. tear — to rip
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. root — the cause
  15. deal — to handle
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. pit — a hole
  19. root — of a plant
  20. cold — an illness
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. tear — from crying
  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