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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. cue — a hint
  3. toast — bread
  4. charge — in control
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. cue — a signal
  10. capital — money
  11. sharp — clever
  12. shower — to wash
  13. cue — for pool
  14. charge — a price
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. charge — electricity
  17. root — of a word
  18. root — of a plant
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. plane — a tool
  22. shower — rain
  23. capital — a city
  24. root — the cause

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