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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. wake — a trail
  7. prune — to trim
  8. root — of a plant
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. fork — in a road
  11. content — the amount
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. pass — a permit
  15. content — happy
  16. capital — money
  17. root — the cause
  18. capital — a city
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. pit — a hole
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. root — of a word
  23. prune — to trim
  24. pit — in a race

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