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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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Word bank
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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: capital · root · straw · safe · pop · foot · club · date

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. pop — to visit
  3. club — a group
  4. capital — money
  5. foot — a measure
  6. pop — music
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. date — the fruit
  10. root — of a word
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. root — the cause
  13. pop — soda
  14. club — for golf
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. root — of a plant
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. capital — a city
  24. club — for dancing

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