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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. capital — money
  3. root — of a plant
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. root — the cause
  6. capital — a city
  7. chest — a box
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. perch — the fish
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. chest — of your body
  15. kid — to tease
  16. chest — of your body
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. kid — child
  24. root — of a word

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