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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. foot — a measure
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. cap — a lid
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. cap — of ice
  13. root — of a word
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. pitch — completely
  17. capital — a city
  18. root — of a plant
  19. cap — a hat
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. root — the cause
  22. capital — money
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. bat — for baseball

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