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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. race — the arms race
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. race — humankind
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. roll — a cake
  8. capital — money
  9. scale — in music
  10. track — a song
  11. bulb — for light
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. track — to keep track
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. prune — to trim
  18. roll — a list
  19. toast — bread
  20. prune — to trim
  21. race — a contest
  22. capital — a city
  23. bulb — for light
  24. track — a path

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