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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: file · cap · capital · bowl · foot · rock · last · root

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. cap — a lid
  4. last — finally
  5. cap — a hat
  6. rock — a stone
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. file — a document
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. root — of a plant
  11. file — a line of people
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. foot — a measure
  14. root — the cause
  15. capital — a city
  16. last — final
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. file — a tool
  19. root — of a word
  20. cap — of ice
  21. capital — money
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. rock — music
  24. bowl — a football final

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