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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. charge — a price
  3. dip — to sink
  4. root — of a word
  5. rock — a stone
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bore — to drill
  10. root — the cause
  11. charge — electricity
  12. charge — in control
  13. scale — in music
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. root — of a plant
  17. foot — a measure
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. scale — size or range
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. capital — money
  23. capital — a city
  24. scale — for weighing

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