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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. band — a music group
  3. capital — a city
  4. band — a ring
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bulb — for light
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. face — to point toward
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. capital — money
  15. face — part of the head
  16. face — to confront
  17. mate — a friend
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. wake — a trail
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. mate — to breed
  24. mate — a partner

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