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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. present — the time now
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — for light
  6. clip — for paper
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. present — there
  9. lean — to bend
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. lean — thin
  13. capital — money
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. fine — high quality
  16. cap — of ice
  17. cap — a lid
  18. present — a gift
  19. clip — a video
  20. cap — a hat
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. capital — a city
  23. clip — to cut
  24. fine — all right

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