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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. capital — money
  4. rock — music
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. mark — a trace
  9. bulb — for light
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. swing — in golf
  12. mark — a grade
  13. rock — a stone
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. cue — for pool
  16. capital — a city
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. swing — music
  19. cue — a hint
  20. cue — a signal
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. swing — to play on
  24. bulb — of a plant

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