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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 had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. bulb — for light
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. bulb — for light
  5. capital — money
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. present — there
  12. present — the time now
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. present — a gift
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. row — a line
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. capital — a city
  20. row — to paddle
  21. fine — all right
  22. fine — high quality
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. leaves — of a tree

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