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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. net — for catching
  5. net — after costs
  6. bulb — for light
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. present — the time now
  9. present — there
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bass — low music
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. capital — money
  14. capital — a city
  15. net — in sport
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. present — a gift
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. shower — rain
  21. shower — to wash
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. bass — the fish

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