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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. land — to come down
  6. capital — a city
  7. squash — the sport
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. squash — to crush
  11. land — ground
  12. bulb — for light
  13. land — a country
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. fork — in a road
  18. board — to get on
  19. season — in sport
  20. capital — money
  21. season — of the year
  22. board — a committee
  23. dip — to sink
  24. bulb — for light

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