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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 ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. root — of a word
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. rash — hasty
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. capital — a city
  7. ball — a great time
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. sharp — clever
  10. stem — to come from
  11. root — the cause
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. vault — a safe
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. capital — money
  17. chip — to eat
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. chip — for betting
  20. rash — a series
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. ball — a dance
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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