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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — for light
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. rash — a series
  5. pop — soda
  6. object — to protest
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. pop — to visit
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. capital — a city
  12. chair — a leader
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a line of people
  15. pop — music
  16. file — a tool
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. object — a thing
  22. capital — money
  23. rash — hasty
  24. object — an aim

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