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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 116 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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. pop — soda
  3. root — the cause
  4. drill — the tool
  5. drill — army training
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. capital — a city
  8. drill — a practice
  9. staff — employees
  10. root — of a plant
  11. land — ground
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. pop — music
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. pop — to visit
  17. root — of a word
  18. capital — money
  19. land — a country
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. stand — to bear
  22. land — to come down
  23. staff — employees
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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