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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. club — for golf
  3. rest — a break
  4. root — the cause
  5. fine — high quality
  6. rest — what's left
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bear — the animal
  12. capital — money
  13. root — of a plant
  14. fine — all right
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. fork — in a road
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. club — for dancing
  20. rest — what's left
  21. root — of a word
  22. bear — the animal
  23. club — a group
  24. fine — a penalty

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