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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: chip · chair · mark · march · rush · capital · root · foot

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. march — the month
  3. march — the month
  4. root — of a word
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. chip — to eat
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. foot — a measure
  11. march — music
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. capital — a city
  15. chair — a leader
  16. rush — hurry
  17. mark — a trace
  18. capital — money
  19. root — the cause
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. mark — a grade
  23. root — of a plant
  24. chip — for betting

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