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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. bat — the animal
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. bulb — for light
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. deal — to handle
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. saw — the tool
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. fall — to drop
  18. capital — money
  19. capital — a city
  20. fall — the season
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bulb — for light
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fine — all right

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