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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. drill — a practice
  3. bulb — for light
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. lie — to recline
  7. swing — to play on
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. band — a music group
  10. capital — money
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. swing — in golf
  13. rash — hasty
  14. drill — the tool
  15. dip — to sink
  16. capital — a city
  17. rash — a series
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. drill — army training
  21. bulb — for light
  22. swing — music
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. lie — an untruth

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