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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. bulb — for light
  3. cap — of ice
  4. face — to point toward
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. bulb — for light
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. deal — to handle
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. capital — money
  12. cap — a lid
  13. face — part of the head
  14. face — to confront
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. content — happy
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. capital — a city
  20. content — the amount
  21. cap — a hat
  22. fine — high quality
  23. fine — all right
  24. content — videos and posts

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