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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. track — a path
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. pop — soda
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. track — to keep track
  8. content — happy
  9. content — the amount
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bulb — for light
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. pop — music
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. capital — money
  18. capital — a city
  19. dip — to sink
  20. pass — a permit
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. track — a song
  23. bulb — for light
  24. dip — a sauce

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