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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  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. root — the cause
  2. bound — certain
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. march — music
  5. march — the month
  6. capital — a city
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. field — for sport
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. field — a subject
  13. root — of a word
  14. march — the month
  15. field — farmland
  16. content — the amount
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. capital — money
  21. bound — tied together
  22. content — happy
  23. bound — obliged
  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