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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. cap — of ice
  5. bulb — for light
  6. fine — all right
  7. cap — a lid
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. capital — a city
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fine — high quality
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bark — to shout
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. squash — to crush
  17. rock — music
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. capital — money
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. cap — a hat
  23. squash — the sport
  24. rock — a stone

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