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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 ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. mine — for digging
  3. cap — a lid
  4. root — the cause
  5. root — of a word
  6. track — a path
  7. key — in music
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. key — for a lock
  10. cap — a hat
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. march — the month
  13. cap — of ice
  14. spring — of water
  15. key — the most important part
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. spring — a coil
  18. track — to keep track
  19. spring — the season
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. track — a song
  22. march — the month
  23. pitch — completely
  24. march — music

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