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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. capital — a city
  3. bound — tied together
  4. shower — to wash
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — for light
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. pit — in a race
  11. bound — certain
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. pit — a hole
  14. board — a committee
  15. game — wild animals
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — a match
  19. board — to get on
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. bound — obliged
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. capital — money

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