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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. bulb — for light
  4. key — for a lock
  5. capital — a city
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. capital — money
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. land — ground
  11. stock — shares
  12. stock — goods
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. land — a country
  16. key — the most important part
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. land — to come down
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. bulb — for light
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. key — in music
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. jam — in traffic

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