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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. root — of a plant
  3. capital — money
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. capital — a city
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. land — to come down
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. root — of a word
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. degree — an amount
  13. land — a country
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. net — in sport
  16. root — the cause
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. net — for catching
  20. degree — from a university
  21. net — after costs
  22. rash — a series
  23. degree — temperature
  24. rash — hasty

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