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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. root — of a word
  3. fall — to drop
  4. capital — money
  5. board — a committee
  6. fall — to drop
  7. dip — to sink
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. current — of water
  13. board — to get on
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. capital — a city
  16. key — for a lock
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. key — the most important part
  19. current — electric
  20. key — in music
  21. current — happening now
  22. fall — the season
  23. root — the cause
  24. root — of a plant

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