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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. bulb — for light
  3. game — a match
  4. root — of a word
  5. capital — a city
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. game — wild animals
  10. plane — a tool
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. firm — decided
  14. root — the cause
  15. drill — army training
  16. drill — a practice
  17. stock — shares
  18. firm — steady
  19. drill — the tool
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. capital — money
  23. stock — goods
  24. firm — a company

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