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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: root · land · cue · capital · deal · fork · roll · stick

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. capital — money
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. fork — in a road
  7. roll — a cake
  8. cue — a hint
  9. cue — for pool
  10. root — the cause
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. land — ground
  14. roll — a list
  15. capital — a city
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. cue — a signal
  20. deal — to handle
  21. root — of a plant
  22. root — of a word
  23. land — a country
  24. fork — to eat with

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