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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  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 big letter
  2. board — a committee
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. root — of a word
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. capital — money
  8. bulb — for light
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. game — wild animals
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. bulb — for light
  13. snap — to click
  14. capital — a city
  15. root — of a plant
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. root — the cause
  18. branch — a division
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. board — to get on
  21. game — a match
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. mouse — the animal
  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