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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 116 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 · pitch · cap · root · dip · bore · track · chair

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. root — of a word
  3. cap — a lid
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. track — a path
  6. dip — to sink
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. capital — a city
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. cap — a hat
  11. root — the cause
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. capital — money
  14. pitch — completely
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. root — of a plant
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. cap — of ice
  19. chair — a leader
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. track — to keep track
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. track — a song
  24. bore — to tire

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