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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. tear — to rip
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. kick — in football
  9. capital — money
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. rash — hasty
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. root — the cause
  14. root — of a word
  15. sharp — clever
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. wind — moving air
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — from crying
  21. rash — a series
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. capital — a city
  24. wind — moving air

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