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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 120 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: root · can · cue · season · ground · dip · racket · capital

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. ground — crushed
  4. capital — money
  5. root — of a plant
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. ground — the earth
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. can — to be able to
  10. dip — to sink
  11. season — of the year
  12. capital — a city
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — a tin
  16. cue — a hint
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. cue — a signal
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. root — the cause
  21. ground — a position
  22. cue — for pool
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. season — in sport

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