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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. rush — hurry
  4. date — the fruit
  5. capital — money
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. bulb — for light
  8. capital — a city
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. ball — a dance
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. ball — a great time
  17. scale — size or range
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. bulb — for light
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. trunk — 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