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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. key — for a lock
  3. capital — money
  4. root — of a word
  5. clip — for paper
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. root — the cause
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. cell — a phone
  10. cell — in biology
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. root — of a plant
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. key — the most important part
  17. rock — a stone
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lie — to recline
  20. clip — a video
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. clip — to cut
  23. capital — a city
  24. key — in music

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