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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. rash — a series
  6. ball — a dance
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. game — wild animals
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. shower — rain
  11. rash — hasty
  12. root — the cause
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. shower — to wash
  16. ball — a great time
  17. root — of a word
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. game — a match
  20. root — of a plant
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. capital — money
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. mouse — the animal

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