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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. court — for sport
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. root — of a plant
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. game — a match
  9. capital — money
  10. press — to push
  11. bore — to tire
  12. press — a publisher
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. court — of law
  17. bore — to drill
  18. game — wild animals
  19. press — newspapers
  20. court — of a king
  21. capital — a city
  22. root — the cause
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. hide — animal skin

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