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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. capital — money
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. mug — to rob
  7. kick — in football
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mug — a face
  10. shower — rain
  11. row — to paddle
  12. mug — a cup
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. bulb — for light
  15. row — a line
  16. cap — a lid
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. shower — to wash
  19. cap — a hat
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. bulb — for light
  23. cap — of ice
  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