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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. lie — to recline
  3. capital — a city
  4. root — the cause
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. pop — music
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. root — of a word
  12. cell — in biology
  13. ground — the earth
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. root — of a plant
  16. ground — crushed
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. cell — a phone
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. capital — money
  21. pop — soda
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. pop — to visit

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