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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. spell — letters
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. root — of a plant
  6. capital — money
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. root — of a word
  9. game — a match
  10. stock — shares
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. stock — goods
  13. game — wild animals
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. pitch — completely
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. capital — a city
  22. spell — magic
  23. root — the cause
  24. safe — a strongbox

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