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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. squash — to crush
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. squash — the sport
  6. capital — a city
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bulb — for light
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. tear — to rip
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. capital — money
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. root — the cause
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. bore — to tire
  19. pitch — completely
  20. tear — from crying
  21. root — of a plant
  22. bore — to drill
  23. root — of a word
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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