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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. field — a subject
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. can — a tin
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. cue — for pool
  9. can — a tin
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. field — farmland
  14. field — for sport
  15. bear — the animal
  16. deal — to handle
  17. cue — a hint
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. can — to be able to
  20. capital — money
  21. bear — the animal
  22. stem — to come from
  23. cue — a signal
  24. kick — in football

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