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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.

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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. degree — temperature
  5. bear — the animal
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. bound — certain
  9. root — of a word
  10. capital — a city
  11. degree — from a university
  12. mate — a partner
  13. bound — obliged
  14. capital — money
  15. degree — an amount
  16. mate — a friend
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. bound — tied together
  20. mate — to breed
  21. root — of a plant
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. root — the cause
  24. bear — the animal

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