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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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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. vault — a safe
  3. bulb — for light
  4. march — the month
  5. branch — a division
  6. march — the month
  7. club — a group
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. club — for golf
  11. club — for dancing
  12. ground — the earth
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. ground — crushed
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. bulb — for light
  19. ground — a position
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. capital — money
  23. march — music
  24. leaves — of a tree

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