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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. band — a ring
  3. rock — a stone
  4. fall — the season
  5. bulb — for light
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rock — music
  8. wind — moving air
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. chair — a leader
  15. fall — to drop
  16. capital — money
  17. rest — what's left
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. rest — a break
  20. fall — to drop
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. band — a music group
  23. wind — moving air
  24. capital — a city

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