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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. root — of a plant
  3. root — the cause
  4. squash — the sport
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. rock — music
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. spell — magic
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bound — tied together
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. capital — a city
  14. capital — money
  15. bound — obliged
  16. spell — a short time
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. root — of a word
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. rock — a stone
  21. spell — letters
  22. bound — certain
  23. squash — to crush
  24. arm — a part of something

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