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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. capital — money
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bulb — for light
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. court — of law
  12. court — for sport
  13. mate — a friend
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. date — the fruit
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. mate — to breed
  20. wax — to grow
  21. capital — a city
  22. bulb — for light
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. court — of a king

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