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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. land — ground
  3. land — a country
  4. root — of a word
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. land — to come down
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. scale — size or range
  11. saw — the tool
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. capital — money
  14. wind — moving air
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. scale — in music
  19. stand — to bear
  20. capital — a city
  21. root — of a plant
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. wind — moving air
  24. arm — part of the body

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