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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 120 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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. capital — money
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. bulb — for light
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. fine — high quality
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. tear — to rip
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. game — wild animals
  12. tear — from crying
  13. game — a match
  14. fine — all right
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. dip — to sink
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. capital — a city
  24. tear — from crying

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