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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. fall — the season
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. court — for sport
  5. fall — to drop
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. chair — a leader
  8. kid — to tease
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. court — of a king
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. court — of law
  16. bark — to shout
  17. capital — a city
  18. fall — to drop
  19. kid — child
  20. capital — money
  21. root — the cause
  22. rock — music
  23. root — of a word
  24. rock — a stone

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