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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 · bound · bat · charge · ball · sharp · tube · root

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. root — of a word
  4. charge — in control
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. capital — money
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. capital — a city
  11. sharp — clever
  12. charge — a price
  13. ball — a great time
  14. charge — electricity
  15. tube — the underground
  16. ball — a dance
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bat — the animal
  19. tube — a container
  20. root — of a plant
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bound — certain

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