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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 120 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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. clip — to cut
  4. ball — a dance
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bulb — for light
  7. capital — money
  8. ball — a great time
  9. vault — a safe
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. clip — a video
  15. perch — the fish
  16. bulb — for light
  17. clip — for paper
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. deal — to handle
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. perch — for a bird

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