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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 120 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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. capital — money
  3. pitch — completely
  4. root — of a plant
  5. root — the cause
  6. clip — a video
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. stock — goods
  10. stock — shares
  11. capital — a city
  12. clip — to cut
  13. stand — to bear
  14. bound — certain
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. bound — obliged
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. root — of a word
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. clip — for paper
  22. mark — a trace
  23. mark — a grade
  24. bound — tied together

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