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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: court · toast · dip · bat · root · capital · nail · jam

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. capital — money
  3. bat — the animal
  4. root — of a plant
  5. capital — a city
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. toast — bread
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. court — of a king
  13. dip — to sink
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. court — of law
  16. root — the cause
  17. court — for sport
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. jam — in traffic

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