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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bulb — for light
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bound — certain
  6. fall — the season
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bank — for money
  11. bulb — for light
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bank — of a river
  14. capital — money
  15. pop — to visit
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. bound — tied together
  21. capital — a city
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bank — for money
  24. pop — soda

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