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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. root — of a word
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. press — newspapers
  5. land — a country
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. press — a publisher
  8. land — ground
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. press — to push
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. root — the cause
  16. capital — money
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. land — to come down
  20. capital — a city
  21. net — for catching
  22. net — in sport
  23. net — after costs
  24. root — of a plant

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