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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. bulb — for light
  3. game — wild animals
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. charge — a price
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. game — a match
  10. bulb — for light
  11. scale — size or range
  12. charge — electricity
  13. fine — high quality
  14. root — the cause
  15. root — of a plant
  16. root — of a word
  17. capital — money
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. scale — in music
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. charge — in control
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. fine — all right

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