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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. squash — to crush
  3. staff — a stick
  4. pit — in a race
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. tube — the underground
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. bulb — for light
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. pit — a hole
  14. drill — a practice
  15. drill — the tool
  16. drill — army training
  17. staff — employees
  18. squash — the sport
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. capital — a city
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. capital — money
  23. bulb — for light
  24. tube — a container

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