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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 120 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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. capital — money
  3. bulb — for light
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. pit — a hole
  9. ball — a great time
  10. mark — a trace
  11. mark — a grade
  12. chip — to eat
  13. fall — to drop
  14. hand — in cards
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. fall — the season
  17. chip — for betting
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. capital — a city
  21. pit — in a race
  22. fall — to drop
  23. hand — help
  24. bulb — for light

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