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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. kid — to tease
  3. ball — a dance
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. shower — to wash
  6. kid — child
  7. bulb — for light
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. can — a tin
  10. shower — rain
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. can — a tin
  14. rush — hurry
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. fine — all right
  17. ball — a great time
  18. bulb — for light
  19. capital — money
  20. fine — high quality
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. can — to be able to
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. rush — to hurry

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