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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. chip — to eat
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. bulb — for light
  5. capital — money
  6. capital — a city
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. present — the time now
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. cell — in biology
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. present — a gift
  13. swing — music
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. present — there
  16. chip — for betting
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. cell — a phone
  19. swing — in golf
  20. swing — to play on
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. bulb — for light

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