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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. capital — a city
  3. present — a gift
  4. ground — crushed
  5. root — of a plant
  6. hand — help
  7. pitch — completely
  8. present — the time now
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. present — there
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. ground — the earth
  13. root — of a word
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. capital — money
  16. mug — a cup
  17. ground — a position
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. pit — in a race
  20. mug — to rob
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. root — the cause
  23. mug — a face
  24. pit — a hole

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