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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.

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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. shower — to wash
  3. face — to confront
  4. capital — a city
  5. root — of a word
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. drill — the tool
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. stand — to bear
  10. rock — music
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. root — of a plant
  13. drill — a practice
  14. rock — a stone
  15. drill — army training
  16. face — part of the head
  17. shower — rain
  18. capital — money
  19. root — the cause
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. face — to point toward
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — the tool

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