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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. fork — in a road
  4. root — the cause
  5. net — in sport
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. net — for catching
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. capital — money
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. mate — to breed
  12. mate — a friend
  13. mate — a partner
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. root — of a word
  16. net — after costs
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. capital — a city
  19. prune — to trim
  20. root — of a plant
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. deal — to handle
  24. prune — to trim

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