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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 116 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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. bank — of a river
  3. bulb — for light
  4. capital — money
  5. drill — army training
  6. bat — the animal
  7. clip — to cut
  8. land — ground
  9. clip — for paper
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. drill — a practice
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bank — for money
  14. land — to come down
  15. land — a country
  16. drill — the tool
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. content — the amount
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. clip — a video
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bank — for money
  24. content — happy

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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