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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. toast — bread
  3. root — of a word
  4. root — of a plant
  5. season — in sport
  6. pop — soda
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. season — of the year
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. root — the cause
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. prune — to trim
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pop — music
  16. capital — a city
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. pop — to visit
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. hand — help
  24. hand — in cards

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