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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 124 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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. toast — bread
  4. last — final
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. season — of the year
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. bulb — for light
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. season — in sport
  13. last — to go on
  14. game — a match
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. bulb — for light
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. last — finally
  19. game — wild animals
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. capital — a city
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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