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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. pitch — completely
  4. ground — the earth
  5. ground — crushed
  6. capital — money
  7. rest — a break
  8. capital — a city
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. ground — a position
  14. root — of a plant
  15. rest — what's left
  16. root — of a word
  17. root — the cause
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. cue — a signal
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. cue — for pool
  24. rest — what's left

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