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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. capital — a city
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. current — electric
  5. tear — from crying
  6. root — the cause
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. tear — to rip
  9. ground — a position
  10. root — of a word
  11. ground — crushed
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. pass — a permit
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. root — of a plant
  16. lie — to recline
  17. current — happening now
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. tear — from crying
  20. current — of water
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. ground — the earth

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