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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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 got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. spell — a short time
  3. root — of a word
  4. root — of a plant
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. saw — the tool
  7. date — the fruit
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. kid — to tease
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. kid — child
  12. spell — letters
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. pit — in a race
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. capital — money
  18. root — the cause
  19. spell — magic
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. saw — the tool
  22. pit — a hole
  23. snap — to click
  24. capital — a city

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