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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. capital — money
  4. tear — to rip
  5. stand — to bear
  6. bass — low music
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. root — the cause
  10. pop — to visit
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. pop — music
  14. tear — from crying
  15. root — of a plant
  16. pop — soda
  17. capital — a city
  18. root — of a word
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bass — the fish
  24. capital — a big letter

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