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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  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. bass — the fish
  2. tear — from crying
  3. capital — money
  4. root — the cause
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. field — a subject
  9. capital — a city
  10. bore — to drill
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. bore — to tire
  13. tear — to rip
  14. chip — to eat
  15. root — of a word
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. field — for sport
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bass — low music
  20. chip — for betting
  21. field — farmland
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. arm — part of the body
  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