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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. mark — a trace
  4. content — happy
  5. root — the cause
  6. pitch — completely
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. field — a subject
  10. mark — a grade
  11. field — farmland
  12. capital — money
  13. root — of a plant
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. content — the amount
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. root — of a word
  19. spell — letters
  20. field — for sport
  21. spell — magic
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. spell — a short time
  24. mouse — for a computer

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