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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. capital — money
  3. bulb — for light
  4. capital — a city
  5. bulb — for light
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. row — to paddle
  8. land — to come down
  9. charge — in control
  10. land — a country
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. row — a line
  13. land — ground
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. charge — a price
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. perch — the fish
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. charge — electricity
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. perch — for a bird

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