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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 · root · field · sharp · staff · land · pit · bound

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. capital — a city
  3. root — of a plant
  4. pit — in a race
  5. root — the cause
  6. land — ground
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. field — farmland
  9. bound — obliged
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. sharp — clever
  12. root — of a word
  13. bound — certain
  14. land — a country
  15. field — for sport
  16. pit — a hole
  17. land — to come down
  18. capital — money
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — a stick
  21. field — a subject
  22. bound — tied together
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. sharp — with an edge

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