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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 116 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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. race — humankind
  4. root — of a word
  5. spring — of water
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. spring — a coil
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. root — of a plant
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. capital — a city
  13. can — to be able to
  14. root — the cause
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. can — a tin
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. can — a tin
  19. pound — a weight
  20. spring — the season
  21. pitch — completely
  22. race — the arms race
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. race — a contest

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