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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. cap — a lid
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. content — the amount
  6. chip — for betting
  7. capital — a city
  8. game — a match
  9. staff — a stick
  10. game — wild animals
  11. staff — employees
  12. cap — a hat
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. chip — to eat
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. object — to protest
  17. content — happy
  18. object — an aim
  19. bulb — for light
  20. staff — employees
  21. object — a thing
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. cap — of ice
  24. content — videos and posts

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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