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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. band — a music group
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. capital — money
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. land — to come down
  7. rock — a stone
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. land — ground
  10. land — a country
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. mark — a grade
  13. root — of a plant
  14. rock — music
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. capital — a city
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. mark — a trace
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. root — the cause
  23. root — of a word
  24. band — a ring

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