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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: firm · track · roll · mouse · sharp · capital · club · root

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. club — for golf
  5. sharp — clever
  6. root — the cause
  7. firm — decided
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. roll — a list
  11. root — of a word
  12. track — a path
  13. roll — a cake
  14. club — a group
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. track — a song
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. firm — a company
  20. track — to keep track
  21. firm — steady
  22. root — of a plant
  23. club — for dancing
  24. capital — money

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