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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bulb — for light
  5. root — the cause
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. court — of law
  8. cap — a hat
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. cap — of ice
  11. court — of a king
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. sharp — clever
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. bulb — for light
  18. root — of a word
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. capital — money
  21. capital — a city
  22. root — of a plant
  23. court — for sport
  24. chair — a leader

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