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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. can — to be able to
  3. fine — all right
  4. squash — the sport
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. can — a tin
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. capital — money
  11. bulb — for light
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. cap — of ice
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. can — a tin
  16. squash — to crush
  17. capital — a city
  18. cap — a hat
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. bulb — for light
  21. fine — high quality
  22. cap — a lid
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. capital — a big letter

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