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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. net — in sport
  3. capital — money
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. bulb — for light
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. pound — a weight
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. track — a path
  11. capital — a city
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. root — of a plant
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — after costs
  16. track — a song
  17. track — to keep track
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. root — the cause
  24. root — of a word

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