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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — to drop
  3. degree — an amount
  4. fall — the season
  5. bore — to tire
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. root — the cause
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pitch — completely
  10. root — of a plant
  11. capital — money
  12. bore — to drill
  13. capital — a city
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. shower — rain
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. shower — to wash
  19. degree — from a university
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. root — of a word
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. degree — temperature

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