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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. snap — to click
  3. toast — bread
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. fine — high quality
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. track — a song
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. track — a path
  13. fine — all right
  14. shower — rain
  15. bulb — for light
  16. capital — money
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. track — to keep track
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. shower — to wash
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. mouse — 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