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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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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: perch · saw · kick · capital · last · root · toast · firm

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. toast — bread
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. capital — money
  5. firm — steady
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. root — of a word
  10. root — the cause
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. firm — a company
  14. last — finally
  15. last — to go on
  16. capital — a city
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. firm — decided
  20. last — final
  21. kick — in football
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. perch — the fish
  24. capital — a big letter

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