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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. capital — a city
  5. suit — clothes
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. cold — an illness
  8. bulb — for light
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. suit — to fit
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. prune — to trim
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. capital — money
  17. cold — not warm
  18. prune — to trim
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. stock — shares
  21. bulb — for light
  22. suit — in cards
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. stock — goods

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