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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. bulb — for light
  3. capital — money
  4. present — there
  5. capital — a city
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. cell — in biology
  8. present — the time now
  9. cell — a phone
  10. pit — in a race
  11. cap — of ice
  12. cap — a lid
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. present — a gift
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. cap — a hat
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. stand — to bear
  24. bulb — for light

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