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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. bear — the animal
  6. mate — a friend
  7. rule — government
  8. mate — a partner
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. bulb — for light
  11. dip — to sink
  12. cap — a lid
  13. rule — a law
  14. mate — to breed
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. cap — of ice
  17. capital — money
  18. capital — a city
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. cap — a hat
  21. bulb — for light
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. bear — the animal

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