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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  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. bowl — to roll
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. capital — money
  5. capital — a city
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. root — the cause
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. current — of water
  11. current — happening now
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. rush — hurry
  17. current — electric
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. root — of a word
  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