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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. capital — a city
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — for light
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. mark — a trace
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. court — for sport
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. court — of law
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. mark — a grade
  21. rock — music
  22. rock — a stone
  23. capital — money
  24. court — of a king

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