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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: field · stick · capital · degree · cue · root · sharp · bore

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. field — for sport
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. bore — to drill
  6. root — of a word
  7. root — of a plant
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. field — farmland
  11. bore — to tire
  12. capital — money
  13. degree — an amount
  14. root — the cause
  15. degree — from a university
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. capital — a city
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. degree — temperature
  20. cue — for pool
  21. cue — a signal
  22. sharp — clever
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. field — a subject

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