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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. root — of a word
  3. capital — a city
  4. root — the cause
  5. mug — a face
  6. chest — a box
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. ball — a dance
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. mug — to rob
  11. ball — a great time
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. roll — a cake
  15. chest — of your body
  16. root — of a plant
  17. mug — a cup
  18. roll — a list
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. capital — money
  21. rule — a law
  22. chest — of your body
  23. rule — government
  24. pitcher — a jug

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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