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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 a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. pass — a permit
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — in cards
  5. ball — a great time
  6. object — a thing
  7. capital — money
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. object — an aim
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. capital — a city
  12. root — the cause
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. bound — tied together
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. ball — a dance
  20. root — of a word
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. bound — obliged
  23. object — to protest
  24. bound — certain

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