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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. tear — from crying
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. tear — to rip
  7. season — in sport
  8. capital — money
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. cue — for pool
  11. root — of a plant
  12. root — the cause
  13. season — of the year
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. craft — boats
  16. root — of a word
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cue — a hint
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. cue — a signal
  23. craft — a skill
  24. tear — from crying

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