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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. track — a path
  3. wind — moving air
  4. net — after costs
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. track — to keep track
  8. bound — certain
  9. bulb — for light
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. capital — a city
  12. net — in sport
  13. toast — bread
  14. wind — moving air
  15. lie — to recline
  16. bound — tied together
  17. net — for catching
  18. bound — obliged
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bulb — for light
  22. track — a song
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. capital — money

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