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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. pop — soda
  3. capital — money
  4. ground — a position
  5. board — a committee
  6. pop — to visit
  7. capital — a city
  8. bulb — for light
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. club — for dancing
  12. club — for golf
  13. board — to get on
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. club — a group
  17. pop — music
  18. spell — magic
  19. ground — crushed
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spell — letters
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. ground — the earth

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