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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 120 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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. capital — money
  3. capital — a city
  4. row — to paddle
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. chest — of your body
  7. file — a tool
  8. bound — certain
  9. can — to be able to
  10. root — of a plant
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bound — obliged
  13. file — a line of people
  14. root — the cause
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. can — a tin
  17. root — of a word
  18. can — a tin
  19. ground — crushed
  20. chest — of your body
  21. file — a document
  22. row — a line
  23. ground — the earth
  24. ground — a position

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